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LIBRA-RY 

OF  THE 

Theological  Seminary 


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BV  600  .E92  1833  ' 

Evans,  Robert  Wilson,  1789-i 

1866. 
The  church  of  God 


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A      DONATION 


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THE 


CHURCH  OF  GOD, 


IN 


A  SERIES  OF  DISSERTATIONS. 


BY 


/ 

THE  REV.  ROBERT  WILSON  EVANS, 

FEIIOW  OF  TRIKITT  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE. 


Pax  cojlestis  civitatis  ordinatissima  et  concordissima  socictas  frucndi 
Deo  et  invicem  in  Deo. — Augustin.  Civ.  Dei.  xix.  13. 


PHH^ADELPHIA  : 

KEY   &   BIDDLE,   23   MINOR   STREET. 

BOSTON:   ALLEN  &  TICKNOR. 

1833. 


Philadelphia : 

T.  K,  Collins  &  Co.  Printers, 

49  Prune  Street. 


CONTENTS. 


On  the  Objects  of  Revelation,  and  on  the  Spirit  in  which  it 

should  be  Received.        -----  5 

On  the  Origin  and  Constitution  of  the  Church  of  God.  -  25 

On  Prophecy.  ------  42 

On  Scriptm-e.  -  -  .  -  -  -58 

On  Scripture.  ------  72 

On  Sacrifice.  -  -  -  -  -  -  87 

On  the  Priesthood  of  tlie  Church  of  God.      -  -  -        100 

On  Prayei'.     -  -  -  -  -  _  -113 

On  Repentance.  ------        125 

On  the  State  of  a  Member  of  the  Church  of  God.      -  -        136 

On  the  Analogy  of  tlie  Natui-al  and  Spiritual  Birth.  -        149 

On  the  Reward  of  Obedience.  -  -  -  _        I6O 

The  Profession  of  a  Member  of  the  Church  of  God.  -        173 

On  the  Principles  of  Morality  in  tlie  Church  of  God.  -         183 

On  the  Comparative  Opportunities  of  tlie  Earlier  and  Later 

Church.  -  -  -  _  _  -197 

On  the  Fortunes  of  the  Church.  -  _  .  _        2IO 


THE 


CHURCH    OF    GOD. 


DISSERTATION  I. 


ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION,  AND  ON  THE  SPIRIT   IN  WHICH 
IT  SHOULD  BE  RECEIVED. 

But  the  natural  man  perceiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him :  neither  can  he  know 
them,  for  they  are  spiritually  discerned. — 1  Cor.  ii.  14. 

The  natural  man  here  mentioned  by  the  apostle,  is  a  title 
which  will  apply  to  two  classes  of  mankind.  It  may  desig- 
nate either  those  who,  left  entirely  to  their  own  faculties  and 
notions,  derive  no  knowledge  whatever  of  God  from  Revela- 
tion ;  or  those  who,  living  under  the  blessings  of  a  Revelation, 
think  and  act  just  as  if  it  had  never  reached  their  ears — who, 
reckless  and  unconscious  of  the  light  which  it  had  afforded, 
even  to  themselves  in  despite  of  themselves,  attribute  such 
knowledge  as  they  have  of  heavenly  things  to  mere  force  of 
human  reason,  and  set  down  the  revealed  mysteries  of  God 
as  the  discoveries  of  inquiring  man.  With  the  former  cha- 
racter, it  is  our  supreme  blessing  not  to  be  immediately  con- 
cerned :  in  the  latter,  our  interest  is  close  and  painful.  It 
encounters  us  continually  both  from  without  and  from  within. 
It  is  not  confined  to  the  immoral  and  thoughtless  professor 
of  the  Gospel,  but  attaches  itself  more  or  less  to  all  who  have 
not  perfected  their  faith ;  to  all  who,  not  having  as  yet  com- 
pletely ascertained,  by  study  of  the  Word,  by  inquiry  into 


6  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

their  own  hearts  and  understandings,  and  by  a  comparison  of 
the  results  in  each  case,  the  whole  sum  of  what  they  have 
owed  to  God's  special  instructions,  and,  insufficiently  hum- 
bled, persist  in  claiming  for  their  own  self-acquired  knowledge, 
one  iota  of  his  blessed  Revelation.  Who  must  not  plead 
guilty  here,  if  he  but  diligently  discuss  his  past  and  present 
frame  of  mind  1  For  the  more  we  think,  the  more  we  find 
ourselves  beholden  to  it,  and  the  less  therefore  to  have  been 
hitherto  our  sense  of  its  exceeding  value.  Alas  !  we  are  too 
apt  to  forget  the  Giver  in  the  enjoyment  of  our  bodily  bless- 
ings ;  but  still  less  lively  is  our  sense  of  his  extraordinary 
intervention  displayed  in  the  possession  of  our  spiritual ;  if 
thanksgiving  be  too  often  neglected  after  earthly  food,  still 
more  frequently  is  it  omitted  after  heavenly.  We  need  not 
go  far  for  the  reason  of  this  perverseness.  The  former  class 
of  blessings  contains  the  supplies  to  the  primary  wants  of  our 
animal  nature ;  their  renewal  is  continually  sought  by  its 
appetites,  they  are  necessary  to  its  very  existence ;  hence 
they  obtain  the  earnest  attention  of  our  mind,  ever  rousing  it 
and  keeping  it  alive  by  their  palpable  ob^'iousness  and  con- 
tinual repetition.  But  the  character  of  the  latter  class  is  just 
the  reverse  of  all  this.  The  daily  bread  which  they  supply 
is  not  necessary  either  to  the  existence  or  enjoyment  of  the 
body ;  it  is  spiritually  taken,  and,  therefore,  the  want  of  it 
can  be  discerned  by  such  only  as  have  become  conscious  of 
their  spiritual  nature,  and  accordingly  grown  desirous  of  satis- 
fying its  cravings.  It  is  not,  therefore,  until  our  spiritual 
man  hath  at  least  gained  one  victory  over  our  natural,  hath 
entered  the  house  and  bound  the  strong  man  who  had  us  in 
possession,  that  the  occupation  of  our  attention  can  be  vindi- 
cated, and  our  minds  left  free  to  the  solicitation  of  the  nobler 
blessings.  Then,  indeed,  searching  the  resources  of  our  own 
minds  within,  appreciating  their  supplies  from  without,  we 
arrive  at  the  vital  distinction  between  what  we  know  of  God 
and  things  appertaining  to  God,  by  mere  force  of  our  natural 
unassisted  powers,  and  what  by  means  of  his  extraordinary 
illumination.  Then  we  daily  grow  more  acute  in  the  discern- 
ment of  this  difference;  until,  in  the  end,  with  a  strength  of 
conviction  which  the  wise  of  this  world  may  call  bigotry, 
and  w'ith  a  depth  of  humiliation  which  they  may  term  abject- 
ness,  we  clearly  perceive,  and  frankly  acknowledge,  ascribing 
glory  and  tlianks  unto  God  the  Father,  through  Jesus  Christ 
his  Son,  our  Saviour,  that  from  our  ow.n  selves  we  know 


ON  THiE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  7 

nothing  of  heavenly  things,  but  that  from  him,  and  by  the 
mercy  of  his  special  intervention  with  our  fallen  nature,  we 
derive  every  and  the  least  particle  of  our  knowledge  of  him  as 
he  really  is. 

But  how  many,  professing  the  name  of  Christ,  have  fought 
and  won  this  glorious  victory?  how  many  have  even  ever 
bethought  themselves  of  the  necessity  of  the  struggle  1  Alas  ! 
the  natural  man,  in  the  second  sense  of  the  word,  is  but  too 
common  a  character  in  the  visible  church  of  God.  Indolently 
succumbing  to  his  animal  nature,  he  passively  acquiesces  in 
the  results  of  his  education  and  experience  :  a  series  of  notions 
on  high  and  awful  subjects  have  become  familiar  to  him,  and 
both  pride  and  ignorance  conspire  to  lead  him  to  regard  all 
familiar  truths  as  the  property  of  his  own  mind.  These, 
according  as  he  is  content  to  take  his  place  amid  the  crowd, 
or  is  ambitious  of  the  character  of  a  philosopher,  he  throws 
into  the  common  mass  of  first  principles  and  incontestible 
axioms,  or  places  among  the  sure  deductions  of  human  rea- 
son :  hence  much  unconscious  practical  infidelity,  and  hence, 
alas !  some  avowed  apostacy.  To  nature  is  ascribed  what 
nature  could  never  give,  and  to  God  are  refused  acknowledg- 
ments for  what  God  could  alone  bestow.  On  the  very  thresh- 
hold,  then,  of  addressing  to  any  Christian  body  an  investigation 
into  the  nature  and  properties  of  the  church  of  God,  we  find 
it  necessary  to  ascertain  the  point  at  which  its  extraordinary 
supply  of  knowledge,  meeting  the  deficiencies  of  our  nature, 
comes  in  aid  of  our  ordinary  information.  The  discovery  of  this 
will  disclose  at  once  the  special  blessedness  and  high  privi- 
leges of  which  we  are  too  apt  to  be  unconscious.  Thus  we  shall 
see  the  utter  destitution  of  the  natural  man,  and  the  unbound- 
ed wealth  of  the  spiritual  man.  Thus  we  shall  learn  duly  to 
value  the  waters  of  our  unearthly  Jordan,  and,  with  the  fasti- 
dious daintiness  of  the  Persian  king,  to  drink  of  one  river 
only, — spiritual  kings  from  a  spiritual  river.  Thus  we  shall 
duly  appreciate  the  milk  and  honey  of  our  holy  land ;  and, 
contrasting  its  glorious  abundance  with  the  scanty  springs, 
the  bitter  wells,  and  the  palling  food  of  the  wilderness,  in 
which  our  natural  man  was  so  long  wandering,  tempting  and 
grieving  God,  we  shall  joyfully  advance  with  his  pillar  of 
light  in  our  front,  explore  still  further,  still  more  carefully, 
and  finally  find  therein  our  everlasting  habitation. 

The  necessary  objects,  therefore,  of  a  Revelation  from  God, 
or,  in  other  words,  the  fundamental  principles  of  his  church 


8  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

upon  earth,  require  our  present  discussion.  And  for  this  we 
have  most  ample  materials  provided.  Not  only  have  we  the 
result  at  which  our  minds,  well  explored  and  carefullj'^  ab- 
stracted from  the  associations  of  revealed  truth,  can  arrive, 
(how  does  the  very  difficulty  of  the  abstraction  display  the 
abundance  of  God's  mercy!)  but  we  have  at  the  same  time 
the  results  which  the  most  g-ifted  minds  of  former  days  ob- 
tained, in  such  a  search — minds,  these,  unfettered  by  the  asso- 
ciations which  ours  find  it  so  painful  to  throw  off.  The 
ancient  philosophers  were  men  placed  in  very  different  (and, 
for  the  mere  present  purpose,  in  very  advantageous)  circum- 
stances from  ourselves.  They  had  been  violently  driven  by 
the  superstitions,  with  which  religion  had  been  overlaid,  to 
forego  all  tradition,  in  which  channel  alone,  however  corrupt, 
God's  Revelation  could  have  reached  them,  and  to  yield 
themselves  unreservedly  to  the  deductions  of  their  natural 
unassisted  reason.  If,  then,  having  laid  down  the  questions 
which  it  must  be  the  prime  object  of  moral  and  intellectual 
man  to  solve,  we  have  reason  to  conclude,  from  the  examina- 
tion of  our  minds,  that  they  could  never  of  themselves  have 
obtained  the  solution ;  and  if,  further,  those  men  failed  also, 
and  came  grievously  short  of  the  end,  notwithstanding  an 
enviable  possession  of  all  human  acquirements  which  would 
seem  requisite  for  the  end  ;  although  they  were  the  lights  of 
their  several  ages  and  countries,  and,  earnestly  bent  upon  the 
discovery,  engaged  head  and  heart  in  the  service ;  although 
they  were  sages,  whose  acute  understandings,  refined  by 
severest  discipline,  and  unremittingly  employed  in  pressing 
on  to  the  furthest  limits  at  Mhieh  the  light  of  nature  was 
visible,  left  unexplored  no  attainable  point  in  things  and  rela- 
tions, human  and  divine ; — if  this  shall  be  our  conclusion, 
then  we  shall  have  determined  the  objects  of  a  Revelation 
from  God. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  discussions  upon  the  supreme 
good,  we  may  safely  pronounce,  that  the  universal  desire  of 
mankind  is,  to  be  released  from  the  perplexities  and  appre- 
hensions attendant  upon  their  view  of  death.  In  this  view 
are  terminated  all  their  hopes  and  fears.  All  the  sufferings 
of  the  body,  all  the  reverses  of  life,  are  secondary  to  this  last 
of  sufferings,  this  last  and  greatest  of  changes.  The  living 
principle  within  men  is  continually  whispering,  (and  making 
up  for  argument  by  perseverance,)  that  there  is  something 
beyond  the  grave,  and  the  pangs  of  the  dissolving  body  are 


ON  THK  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  9 

as  notliing  in  the  scale,  weighed  with  the  anxiety  and  doubt 
attendant  upon  the  thoughts  of  what  may  await  us  beyond. 
To  trample,  therefore,  under  foot  the  insatiable  grave,  to  take 
the  sting  out  of  its  terrors,  is  his  grand  moral  endeavour.  To 
ensure  this  triumph,  he  puts  on  all  his  intellectual  armour, 
and  gives  the  keenest  edge  to  the  sword  of  his  understanding. 
Now  this,  his  prime  object,  steadily  followed  up,  will  involve 
him  in  the  following  questions  : 

First,  Finding  himself,  in  common  with  all  around  him, 
subject  to  a  perpetual,  invisible,  invincible  controul,  he  has 
here  discovered  the  arbiter  of  life  and  death ;  the  properties, 
therefore,  of  this  influential  being,  and  the  various  relations 
existing  between  these,  and  such  as  belong  to  man,  are  to  be 
sought  out. 

Secondly,  These  being  found,  must  be  the  means,  if  there 
be  any,  of  determining  the  question  of  death,  whether  we  be 
concerned  in  any  state  beyond  it,  or  not. 

Thirdly,  Supposing  the  belief  in  a  future  state  to  be  the 
result  of  this  inquiry,  then  follows  the  anxious  question, 
whether  this  state  have  a  retrospective  view  to  our  conduct  in 
this  life,  and  shall  be  happy  or  miserable,  according  as  we 
have  been  good  or  wicked. 

And,  Fourthly,  If  such  a  future  state  be  credible,  then  may 
there  not  be  a  hope  afforded  to  imperfect  man,  that,  as  in  the 
case  of  retribution  in  this  life,  repentance  may  procure  remis- 
sion of  punishment. 

Such  is  the  series  of  questions,  the  solution  of  which 
touches  the  highest  interests  of  man.  In  other  Avords,  they 
are,  the  attributes  of  God,  the  life  and  judgment  to  come,  the 
forgiveness  of  sins.  These,  therefore,  if  they  shall  appear 
incapable  of  proof  upon  any  ground  of  human  reason,  will 
be  the  grand  objects  of  a  Revelation  from  God.  The 
Deist  no  doubt  will  smile  to  see  placed  to  this  account,  truths 
which  he  reckons  so  obvious  to  reason.  How  obvious  they 
are,  let  him  judge,  when  he  has  entirely  stripped  himself  of 
all  the  prejudices  of  an  education  in  a  Christian  country : 
how  obvious  they  have  been,  let  him  consider,  when  he  turns 
over  the  pages  of  the  most  subtle  reasoners  of  antiquity. 
We  will  now  briefly  examine  them,  in  order. 

On  the  subject  of  the  attributes  of  God,  it  is  necessary  to 

attend  to  a  distinction,  which  has  been  too  seldom  kept  in 

sight.      They  form  two   separate   classes,  according  as  we 

consider  God  to  be  the  physical  creator  and  maintainer  of  the 

B  2 


10  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

universe,  or  to  be  its  moral  governor.  These  bring  us  into 
very  different  degrees  of  intimacy  with  him ;  and  the  disco- 
very of  the  one  class  is  very  far  indeed  from  introducing  us 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  other.  The  confusion  of  them  has 
led  to  much  undue  stress  being  laid  upon  natural  theology, 
(the  real  value  of  which,  however,  I  would  be  the  last  to  de- 
cry,) and  lies,  indeed,  at  the  bottom  of  all  infidelity. 

Let  us,  then,  in  the  first  place,  suppose  that,  by  comparing 
the  appearances  and  operations  of  the  sensible  world  with  the 
effects  of  his  own  powers  and  faculties,  the  natural  man,  as- 
cending to  a  first  cause,  has  established  to  his  entire  convic- 
tion the  certainty  of  the  existence  of  a  sole,  almighty,  all- 
wise,  all-good,  everlasting  being,  the  maker  of  every  thing  in 
heaven  and  earth.  To  this,  as  the  arbiter  of  his  fate,  as  the 
creator  and  maintainor  of  his  life,  as  the  author  of  all  its 
blessings,  he  will  reasonably  offer  praise,  adoration,  and 
thanksgiving  (Rom.  i.  21).  Now,  had  man  continued  in  his 
innocence,  this  knowledge  had  plainly  been  quite  sufficient': 
all  of  which  he  knew  was  good :  evil  was  unknown  to  him. 
His  blessed  state  therefore  required  not  the  notion  of  God's 
attributes  as  a  moral  governor,  who  in  him  had  as  yet  no  sin 
to  pity,  to  pardon,  to  rebuke,  or  to  punish.  But  very  differ- 
ent, alas !  is  the  case  with  fallen  man.  He  knows  evil ;  he 
is  surrounded  by  it  on  every  side,  in  every  shape  of  sin,  and 
death.  What  comfort  shall  he  derive  now  from  the  contem- 
plation of  this  being?  The  more  he  contemplates  him,  the 
further  he  finds  himself  removed  from  him.  If  he  look  up  to 
heaven,  there  he  sees  world  beyond  world  intervening  between ; 
if  he  look  down  upon  earth,  there  he  finds  beneath  him  world 
below  world  (even  until  it  be  contained  in  a  drop  of  water) 
interposing,  and  blocking  up  his  way  in  this  direction. 
He  finds  himself  shrunk  up  into  a  point  amid  infinity.  How 
shall  he  have  intercourse  with  a  being  which  thus  recedes  as 
he  advances,  and  whom  he  finds,  at  the  end  of  the  furthest 
possible  pursuit  of  his  intellect,  more  remote  than  everl 
How  shall  he  assure  himself  of  the  sympathy  of  such  a  be- 
ing ;  how  shall  he  refer  his  practice  to  this  obscure  and  dis- 
tant abstraction,  this  occupant  of  his  head  and  not  of  his 
heart;  what  chords  of  relation  shall  be  drawn  to  connect  the 
weakness,  the  folly,  the  unholiness  of  man,  with  the  perfect 
power,  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  this  being?  Alas  !  the  loss 
of  innocence !  how  utterly  did  it  sever  the  links  of  communi- 
cation between  God  and  man.     Fallen  man  finds  a  lamenta- 


ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  11 

ble  change  in  himself,  which  requires  a  corresponding  change 
in  this  unchangeable  being,  in  order  to  maintain  any  connexion 
with  him.  Looking  up  irom  his  dungeon  of  bodily  and  men- 
tal anguish,  perplexity,  and  despair,  he  desires  the  interference 
of  some  superior  being,  who  may  so  far  resemble  himself  as 
to  pity  him,  to  pardon  him,  to  do  him  right.  He  longs  to 
discover  a  moral  governor  of  the  universe,  to  whom  he  may 
appeal  for  support  amid  such  intolerable  evils.  And  now  how 
shall  he  proceed  1  Shall  he  invest  this  being  with  attributes 
derived  from  perfect  human  government  1  So  say  his  feelings : 
but  what  says  his  reason  1  Will  an  abiding  and  rational  con- 
viction (and  without  this  there  can  be  no  faith,  no  religion) 
give  testimony  to  this  yearning  1  Will  reason  allow  him  to 
invest  with  the  attributes  of  man  this  being,  which  continu- 
ally recedes  further  from  him  at  every  approach  which  he 
essays  1  She  rudely  repelled  him  on  the  very  steps  of  the 
entrance  into  the  sanctuary.  She  coldly  asked  him  how  to 
this  sole  perfect  being  he  could  ascribe  qualities  which  owe 
their  existence  (as  far  as  he  knows)  to  the  mutual  dealings  of 
imperfect  beings  1  How  shall  he  ascribe  to  him  mercy,  of 
which  man  could  never  have  formed  the  notion,  much  less  ex- 
ercised the  quality,  had  he  not  been  an  offender  1  how  ima- 
gine the  combination  of  perfect  justice  and  perfect  mercy,  (for 
in  a  perfect  being  both  these  must  be  perfect,)  when  the  more 
perfect  we  conceive  each  to  be,  the  more  irreconcilable  do  they 
appear  1  How  attribute  to  pure  mind  qualities  which  our 
experience  denies  to  exist  apart  from  body  1  If  man,  either 
not  consulting,  or  not  following  reason  when  consulted,  gave 
vent  to  his  feelings,  and  invested  this  being  with  moral  attri- 
butes, the  consequences  were  such  as  always  result  from  with- 
drawing the  latter  from  the  regulations  of  the  former.  Human 
vices  soon  come  upon  the  list  of  attributes,  and  at  last  quite 
thrust  out  the  virtues.  God  became,  in  human  notions,  a 
powerful,  but  evil  and  capricious,  being ;  and  thus  in  the  end 
"  he  changed  the  glory  of  the  uncorruptible  God  into  an  image 
made  like  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds,  and  four-footed  beasts, 
and  creeping  things — they  changed  the  truth  of  God  into  a 
lie,  and  worshipped  and  served  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator,  who  is  blessed  for  ever."  If,  however,  the  man  of 
reason  started  from  this  dream  of  absurdity  into  which  he 
had  been  betrayed,  and  turned  aside  to  the  investigation  of 
the  divine  nature,  he  met  with  no  better  success.  He  in- 
quired, was  this  being  pure  mind,  or  compounded  of  mind 
and  body  1     The  first  supposition  was  to  him  inconceivable, 


12  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

and,  as  to  any  practical  purpose,  unavailing.  He  had  recourse 
therefore  to  the  latter,  and  thus  God,  after  all,  was  an  animal ! 
The  most  rational  of  such  as  adopted  this  monstrous  suppo- 
sition, conceived  the  universe  to  be  the  body  through  which 
the  divine  mind  was  diffused.  This  Pantheism,  by  deifying 
parts  of  the  whole,  brought  the  philosopher  back  to  his  old 
prison-house,  the  polytheism  of  the  vulgar,  and  thus  he  also, 
"  thinking  himself  wise,  became  a  fool,  and  changed  the 
glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  an  image  made  like  cor- 
ruptible man."  Thus  the  attributes  of  God,  as  moral  go- 
vernor of  the  universe,  being  undiscoverable  by  human  reason, 
are  known  to  man  by  Revelation  alone. 

But,  in  the  next  place,  these  being  unknown,  it  is  quite 
impossible  that  he  can  proceed  to  the  knowledge  of  the  life 
and  judgment  to  come.  Nor  were  these  points  ever  seriously 
entertained  by  the  ancient  philosophers;  such  as  gratified 
their  natural  longing  after  immortality  by  specious  conjectures, 
unable  to  admit  the  separate  existence  of  mind,  (however  sepa- 
rate in  nature  from  the  body,)  considered  the  human  mind  as 
a  portion  of  the  divine  pervading  mind,  and  held,  that  to  this, 
after  the  dissolution  of  the  enclosure  of  the  flesh,  it  became 
re-united.  On  this  ground  they  readily  built  the  doctrines  of 
pre-existence  and  transmigration ;  but  the  preservation  of  the 
same  individual  consciousness  after  death,  a  point  so  necessa- 
ry to  a  state  of  future  retribution,  was  any  thing  but  a  neces- 
sary consequence  of  this  hypothesis. 

The  natural  man's  ignorance  of  God's  moral  attributes,  is 
at  once  fatal  to  the  reasoning  of  certain  deists,  who,  having 
recourse  to  the  consideration  of  the  unequal  distribution  of 
good  and  evil  in  this  life,  assert  it  to  be  imperative  upon  God's 
justice  to  correct  this  in  another  life,  and  thus  imagine  that 
reason  has  proved  the  doctrine.  Were  we  even  to  grant  them 
the  knowledge  of  those  attributes  as  founded  in  reason,  they 
would  even  then  be  unable  to  prove  their  point ;  for  they  must 
prove  that  the  above  inequality  is  real,  and  not  apparent, 
which  is  contrary  to  the  known  fact,  that  no  wise  and  good 
man  would  at  any  moment  exchange  his  condition,  bodily  and 
mental,  with  another.  They  must  show  us  that  the  good  and 
evil  implied  in  this  argument  are  intrinsically  good  and  evil, 
since  some  sages  have  denied  them  to  be  such,  and  others 
allowed  them  to  be  but  trivially  such ;  and  they  must  show 
why  this  corrective  life  must  needs  be  immortal,  instead  of 
the  same  length  with  the  original  life. 

It  is  true,  that  a  belief  in  a  future  state  has  pervaded  all 


ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  13 

ages  and  all  countries.  But  this  fact,  to  which,  after  all  his 
attempts  at  demonstration,  the  philosopher  was  compelled  to 
appeal,  needs  only  show  that  it  has  been  revealed  at  a  period 
before  mankind  was  divided  into  nations  and  distant  lands; 
and  indeed,  it  seems  a  moral  impossibility,  that  a  doctrine 
touching  our  welfare  so  vitally,  presenting  the  ultimate  object 
of  all  hope  and  fear,  applicable  to  an  event  daily  suggested  to 
the  mind  from  sights  without  and  feelings  w^ithin ;  which  so 
continually  receives  apparent  confirmation  from  the  spectral 
illusions  of  our  imagination ;  which  reconciles  us  at  once  to 
the  seemingly  unequal  distribution  of  the  good  and  evil  of  this 
life,  and  thus  particularly  interests  the  poor  and  the  afflicted, 
who  always  form  the  great  mass  of  mankind, — it  seems  im- 
possible that  such  a  doctrine,  once  established  by  Revelation, 
should  ever,  in  any  very  material  degree,  be  forgotten.  We 
have  thus  produced  the  second  object  of  Revelation. 

On  the  third  head  we  might  have  spared  all  discussion, 
since  it  is  a  question  of  one  of  God's  moral  attributes,  and 
therefore  undemonstrable  by  reason.  We  should,  therefore, 
have  here  dismissed  it,  had  it  not  been  not  only  the  principal 
attribute  in  which  we  are  concerned,  but  also  the  most  remote 
from  our  apprehension ;  had  it  not  been  the  most  familiar  to 
us  in  Revelation,  and  therefore  been  deemed  by  the  heedless 
the  most  obvious  to  our  faculties ;  had  it  not  been  taken  for 
granted,  as  a  matter  of  course,  by  those  who  deny  the  grounds 
on  which  Revelation  places  it, — that  is,  on  the  satisfaction  of 
Christ;  had  it  not  been  the  main  link,  or  rather  the  only  one 
which  connects  God  and  man. 

Derived,  as  our  sense  of  this  attribute  is,  from  human  deal- 
ings, we  must  suppose  it  to  be  called  forth  in  God  by  the  same 
cause  as  in  the  most  perfect  man, — that  is,  by  repentance  on 
the  part  of  the  offender.  But  what,  excepting  a  familiarity, 
through  eighteen  hundred  years,  with  the  joyful  proclamation 
of  their  mutual  relation,  could  have  led  men  to  think  that  the 
connexion  between  the  two  was  necessary  and  demonstrable, 
and  to  mistake  for  cause  and  effect  what  God's  good  pleasure 
alone,  and  this  upon  specified  grounds,  has  made  constant 
concomitants  ?  The  demonstration  attempted  by  the  gain- 
sayers  of  Revelation,  proceeds  through  a  long  array  of  postu- 
lates, which  can  never  be  granted  by  reason.  They  assume, 
that  an  infinitely  holy  being  like  God,  must  (and  not  may) 
have  a  kind  consideration  for  so  unholy  a  being  as  offending 
man :  that  his  love  must  needs  remain  after  its  only  conceiv- 


14  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

able  object,  man's  innocence,  shall  have  been  obliterated  :  that 
love  enlarged  to  infinity  nntust  thereby  take  in  objects  un- 
worthy of  it,  while  justice  enlarged  to  infinity  must  not  include 
objects  which  are  desorving  of  its  animadversions ;  that  God's 
justice,  assumed  here  to  admit  of  satisfaction  from  men,  can 
receive  in  compensation  fjom  the  offender  any  thing  which  is 
not  God's  already  :  that  a  principle  which  has  its  very  founda- 
tion in  the  liability  of  offending  and  offended  man,  to  change 
their  relative  places,  and  in  the  assurance  which  the  penitent 
gives  of  future  security  to  the  offended,  must  be  applicable  to 
the  relations  existing  between  two  parties,  one  of  which  is  in- 
finitely holy  and  infinitely  powerful :  that  the  amendment  of 
the  life  future  must  influence  the  character  of  the  life  past : 
that  the  doing  our  duty  through  a  part  of  life,  must  be  equiva- 
lent to  doing  it  through  the  whole  :  that  the  means  of  making 
reparation  must  always  continue,  though  the  objects  of  our 
offence  are  daily  vanishing  from  this  fleeting  world,  and  our 
condition  is  never  the  same :  that,  lastly,  analogy, — in  such 
cases  as  the  present,  of  peculiar  moment, — is  in  favour  of  their 
argument,  while  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  directly  opposed  to  it. 
For  when  we  look  on  the  face  of  the  world,  do  we  not  con- 
tinually observe,  that  no  tears  of  repentance,  however  sincere ; 
no  pangs  of  sorrow  and  contrition,  however  sharp,  can  avert 
or  even  arrest  the  penalties  which  men  have  incurred  in  the 
body  ]  we  see  disease  incurable,  poverty  irremediable,  dis- 
grace irreparable.     To  all  this  we  may  add,  that  were  a  prin- 
ciple, important  as  this,  so  obvious  to  human  reason,  we 
ought  surely  to  meet  with  it  in  the  writings  of  the  ancient 
moralists.    No  where,  however,  does  it  appear.    In  this,  then, 
we  have  the  third  object  of  Revelation. 

But  there  remains  another  point  still,  and  as  yet  unadverted 
to,  because  it  is  only  after  having  had  these  three  secured  and 
certified  to  us  that  we  discover  the  necessity  of  a  Revelation 
of  God  upon  it.  Our  very  riches  open  our  eyes  to  our  poverty, 
just  as  our  learning  does  to  our  ignorance.  This  point  is  the 
assurance  of  God's  grace  to  help  our  infirmities.  We  remarked 
how  man  shrank  into  a  point  on  the  contemplation  of  the  in- 
tellectual and  physical  attributes  (so  to  call  them)  of  God. 
What,  then,  shall  he  appear,  upon  the  contemplation  of  his 
moral  attributes,  to  which  he  is  now  introduced  ]  In  the  for- 
mer case,  we  confess  our  utter  insignificance ;  we  are  hum- 
bled at  the  nothingness  of  our  most  boasted  power  and  intelli- 
gence ;  we  cry  out,  "  Lord,  what  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful 


ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  15 

of  him,  or  the  son  of  man  that  thou  regardest  him  1"  But  in 
the  latter  case,  we  are  brought  down  to  a  strain  of  humiliation 
far  lower  than  this ;  we  have  to  confess  utter  unworthiness,  to 
acknowledge  the  want  of  holiness  and  goodness  ;  we  cry  out, 
"  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  There  our  understanding 
was  humbled,  and  we  sank  in  the  scale  of  intelligent  beings ; 
but  here  our  heart  is  arraigned,  and  we  sink  in  the  scale  of 
good  beings.  From  this  despair  God's  forgiveness  raises  us. 
But  will  this  satisfy  us  now  1  God,  in  the  revelation  of  his 
moral  attributes,  hath  opened  our  eyes  to  the  dazzling  riches 
of  moral  excellence  ;  he  has  awakened  our  hearts  to  aspirations 
after  its  attainment.  And  has  he  admitted  us  to  this  view 
only  to  gaze  and  despair  1  Hath  he  given  us  light  and  life, 
and  yet  condemned  us  to  the  scale,  in  the  spiritual  world,  of 
the  periwinkle  on  the  rock,  helpless  and  motionless  1  No  ! 
Here,  for  the  fourth  time,  hath  God  intervened  with  his  gifts 
of  glorious  mercy.  He  hath  bidden  us  be  holy  as  he  is 
holy ;  he  hath  commanded  us  to  be  conformed  to  his  own 
image,  as  expressed  in  his  blessed  and  only  begotten  Son. 
And  for  this  he  has  promised  us  the  help  of  his  grace ;  he 
hath  revealed  to  us  its  exceeding  riches  and  unsearchable 
means. 

Such  are  the  objects  of  a  Revelation  from  God.  In  making, 
however,  this  statement,  we  readily  allow,  if  we  have  not  im- 
plied, that  there  are  certain  grand  truths  in  harmony  with  our 
nature,  which  alone  can  satisfy  its  insatiable  craving,  and  they 
are  signified  generally  by  our  faculties  and  feelings  in  our  va- 
rious guesses,  desires,  and  aspirations.  But  what  they  are 
particularly,  God,  and  not  man,  must  show,  since  they  require 
for  their  certainty  not  only  a  strict  inquiry  into  our  own  minds, 
but  also  a  free  revelation  of  God's.  When,  therefore,  by  God's 
goodness  and  mercy  they  are  discovered  to  us,  we  joyfully 
hail  and  accept  them,  on  his  authority ;  we  eagerly  grasp  them 
as  the  thing  so  much  wanted,  and  now  at  length  found ;  as 
changing  into  a  definite  and  stable  hope,  an  indefinite  and  un- 
easy longing.  Then  we  find  that  all  our  previous  mental 
wants,  and  guesses  at  the  objects  which  should  satisfy  those 
wants,  have  been  but  false  notes,  struck  here  and  there  around 
the  true.  This  master-note  we  were  unable,  after  long-repeated 
endeavours,  to  hit  of  ourselves.  But  as  struck  for  us  by  our 
Heavenly  Teacher,  our  ear  instantly  recognizes  the  desired 
sound,  and  the  harmony,  so  long  sought  in  vain,  has  become 
complete.  Now  all  is  peace  and  content  ineffable.  For  all 
•the  horrid  and  distracting  confusion  of  means  without  objects, 


16  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

and  of  objects  without  means ;  all  the  sense-bewildering  storms 
of  unaccountably  opposed  good  and  evil ;  all  the  tempests  of 
pain  and  sorrow,  and  roar  of  the  grave,  have  been  rebuked 
into  order,  and  calmed,  at  the  voice  of  our  almighty,  all-wise, 
all-merciful  Master. 

Oh  !  Members  of  the  Church  of  God  !  consider  the  abyss 
of  darkness  from  which  the  announcement  of  a  few  proposi- 
tions hath  delivered  us.  Think  of  our  bliss  in  having  for  a 
guide  the  certainty  of  Revelation,  and  not  the  disputable  ques- 
tions of  philosophy.  Even  the  heathen  may  teach  us  some- 
thing here :  for  if  he  felt  so  thankful  for  the  doubtful  glimmer  of 
this  latter ;  if  he  could  perceive  a  warmth  imparted  from  it 
amid  most  heart-chilling  troubles,  public  and  private,  so  as  to 
call  it  the  consoling  light  of  life,  how  ought  we  to  hail  the 
full  blaze  of  brightness  which  the  former  has  poured  around 
our  paths.  Can  we  think  seriously  enough,  feel  deeply 
enough,  be  diligent  enough,  be  thankful  enough  1  Let  us  but 
call  to  mind  those  moments  when  we  have  assuaged  some 
nighly  overwhelming  pang  of  sorrow,  by  the  balm  of  the  hope 
of  the  everlasting  bliss  hereafter ;  confronted  some  peril  or 
terror  in  joyful  resignation  into  the  hands  of  a  just  and  mer- 
ciful Father  in  heaven ;  relieved  a  burdened  conscience  by 
confession  to  a  forgiving  God :  then  let  us  ponder  and  con- 
sider what  had  been  the  agony,  not  of  the  moment,  but  of 
days  and  years,  yea,  even  of  a  whole  life,  had  we  never  known 
those  stays  and  comforts  which  Revelation  has  supplied,  had 
this  life  of  sorrow  been  all,  had  God's  love  never  been  de- 
clared, had  guilt  been  inexpiable  1  When  we  talk,  amid  our 
sorrows  and  wrongs,  of  a  just  and  kind  Father  in  heaven,  and 
of  a  better  world  to  come,  let  us  remember  how  and  from 
whom  we  have  learned  these  things ;  call  to  mind  from 
whom  and  for  how  long  they  were  hidden ;  consider  where 
are  our  merits  for  which  we  have  been  thus  preferred,  the 
meanest  of  us  in  virtue  and  talent,  to  the  brightest  examples 
of  both  in  ancient  days.  Can  we,  dare  we,  remain  indifferent 
to  so  great  salvation?  Be  assured  that  in  the  moment  that 
we  lose  the  consciousness  of  God's  unsearchable  mercy  to  us 
here,  we  are  spiritually  dead,  even  as  our  body  is  dead  when 
it  ceases  to  be  conscious  of  the  light,  and  the  heat,  and  va- 
rious fostering  influences  of  the  outward  world.  Our  neglect 
has  no  excuse ;  our  responsibility  here  goes  far  beyond  that 
which  we  incur  on  any  other  point.  Are  men  deemed  ex- 
cusable, are  they  not  daily  condemned  by  us,  who  neglect 
their  natural  faculties,  although,  from  intimate  and  habitual 


ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  17 

possession,  and  from  the  power  of  improving-  them  which  we 
feel  that  we  possess,  we  are  too  much  accustomed  to  think 
them  our  own  property,  with  which  we  may  do  as  we  please  1 
At  all  events,  we  do  not  ascribe  them  to  any  special  interfer- 
ence of  God.  Can  we  then,  without  condemnation,  slight  the 
possession  of  knowledge  and  power  of  understanding  which 
God,  by  clear  and  special  intervention,  hath  superadded  to 
these  faculties,  in  order  to  give  them  point  and  direction,  and 
contribute  to  our  eternal  well-being  ?  and  this,  too,  when  the 
voice  of  history  has  declared,  our  daily  experience  has  shown, 
and  His  holy  word  has  earnestly  warned  us,  that,  without  this 
direction,  they  will  be  so  employed  as  to  be  a  stumbling- 
block  instead  of  a  guide,  and  darkness  instead  of  light  1  Men 
do  not,  in  their  sober  senses,  turn  away  from  the  wholesome 
fruits  of  the  earth  and  all  its  bounteous  repast,  and  attempt  to 
nourish  their  bodies  with  poisonous  herbs,  or  wood,  or  stone. 
And  as  little  claim  shall  we  have  to  the  possession  of  right 
reason,  if  we  spurn  the  thoughts  which  God  hath  specially 
set  down  as  its  natural  food  for  our  mind's  healthy  entertain- 
ment, and  seek  to  batten  upon  the  vanity  of  mere  human  learn- 
ing, and  worldly  elements.  But  beyond  all  predecessors  in 
the  church  of  God,  the  Christian  is  inexcusable,  if  he  forget 
or  neglect  the  blessings  of  Revelation ;  for  the  unveiling  of 
mysteries,  hidden  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  has  been 
reserved  for  him ;  on  this  youngest  and  most  favoured  child 
the  Father  hath  poured  out  all  the  treasures  of  spiritual  know- 
ledge, emptied  them  to  their  irunost  cells.  He  hath  not  only 
promised,  but  performed ;  not  only  told,  but  exhibited.  Jesus 
Christ,  his  only  begotten  Son,  being  the  visible  image  of  Him 
whom  no  eye  can  see,  hath  expressed  and  declared  him.  Jesus 
hath  wept,  hath  healed,  hath  blessed,  hath  forgiven,  hath 
raised  from  the  dead,  as  being  God — hath  risen  from  the  dead, 
as  being  man.  Thus,  by  a  clear  exhibition  to  our  senses,  by 
a  direct  appeal  to  our  heart,  and  not  by  mere  information  to 
our  understanding,  we  have  been  assured  of  the  grand  points 
of  Revelation,  and  had  their  bearings  and  importance  exem- 
plified before  our  eyes. 

Two  mistakes  are  committed  in  the  treatment  of  Revela- 
tion. Some  go  in  curious  investigations  beyond  it,  and  en- 
deavour to  fill  up  chasms ;  as,  for  instance,  that  intervening 
between  God's  foreknowledge  and  men's  freewill,  which 
Revelation  having  left,  no  additional  aid  from  reason  can  ever 
fill  up  ;  every  load  of  argument  which  it  throws  in  sinks  down 
C 


18  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

into  an  unfathomable  abyss ;  every  structure  which  it  attempts 
to  throw  across,  only  projects  sufficiently  to  show  the  man, 
who  uses  its  frail  stage,  the  horrible  depths  below,  while  he 
still  looks  in  vain  for  the  other  shore.  But  the  number  of 
such  persons  is  inconsiderable,  compared  with  that  of  such  as 
come  short  of  Revelation,  and  never  was  this  short-coming  so 
grievously  prevalent  as  in  the  present  times.  Through  the 
abundance  of  information  poured  around,  men's  minds  are,  as 
it  were,  in  a  tropical  clime,  where  labour  seems  equally  need- 
less and  burdensome.  The  vain  presumption  of  knowledge 
prevent  men  from  discerning  their  ignorance,  puffing  them  up 
with  a  pride  which  will  not  stoop  to  be  informed,  and  un- 
nerving them  with  an  indolence  which  will  not  strive  to  learn. 
Hence,  in  common  with  all  the  rest  of  their  information,  their 
religious  belief  (if  such  can  be  called  a  bundle  of  opinions 
about  which  the  owner  is  indifferent)  is  no  longer,  as  in  better 
days,  a  clear  stream  pouring  from  one  head,  and  proceeding 
to  one  point.  It  is  a  muddy  stagnant  pool,  passively  receiv- 
ing any  chance-coming  feeder,  which  the  abundance  of  the 
rains  may  cause  to  flow  for  an  hour  or  two,  turbid  with  par- 
ticles of  earth.  Here,  therefore,  it  has  inevitably  received  a 
portion  of  natural  knowledge ;  there,  unconsciously,  and  from 
mere  chance  of  proximity,  a  part  of  revealed  knowledge. 
And  these  are  promiscuously  taken  in  with  utter  recklessness 
of  inquiry  into  the  real  deficiency  of  the  one,  and  the  real 
plenitude  of  the  other ;  or  into  the  foulness  of  the  one  and  the 
purity  of  the  other.  To  such  persons,  all  opinions  on  religion 
are  indifferent,  and  an  opinion  at  all  upon  religion,  whatever 
it  may  be,  passes  w4th  them  for  religion.  Meanwhile  the 
deep  and  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  its  unbending 
and  peculiar  articles,  are  treated  as  dogmas  of  the  schools, 
not  as  objects  of  belief  to  society;  as  debateable  grounds  for 
the  theologian,  not  a  base  of  principles  to  the  layman.  Lax- 
ity of  opinion,  in  any  case,  is  a  wretched  imbecility ;  in  reli- 
gious matters  it  is  not  only  this,  but  also  a  moral  delinquency. 
In  contrast  to  such  conduct,  let  us  be  careful  to  seek  out  and 
accept  the  whole  of  Revelation,  to  drink  the  whole  of  the  cup 
of  salvation  which  God  hath  so  bounteously  put  into  our 
hands,  nor  to  rest  satisfied  with  the  taste  on  the  lips  of  that 
which  he  designs  to  pervade  the  whole  body  with  life  and 
heat.  Half  of  truth  is  inevitably  accompanied  with  a  corres- 
ponding half  of  error,  so  that  the  whole  shall  be  pernicious. 
We  can  yield  no  obedience  to  God's  will,  repose  no  faith  in 


ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  19 

his  promise,  arrive  at  no  correct  understanding  of  his  word,  if 
we  suffer  either  indolence,  or  pride,  or  any  corrupt  affection, 
or  worldly  occupation,  to  stop  us  midway  in  our  course. 
We  must  go,  if  we  would  be  safe,  to  the  full  extent  of  all  the 
knowledge  which  God  hath  thought  fit  to  communicate. 
How  else  can  we  discern  its  real  importance  1  Will  the 
sight  of  a  few  bricks  give  us  any  idea  of  the  house  1  How, 
without  feeling,  within  ourselves,  and  of  ourselves,  its  impor- 
tance, can  we  give  it  its  due  and  lofty  supremacy  over  all  the 
other  notions  and  affections  of  our  minds,  making  it  a  master 
amid  servants  there,  and  thus  employing  it  in  its  high  and 
proper  office  of  a  ruling  principle,  in  which  the  whole  body  of 
our  thoughts  and  feelings  shall  find  a  head,  and  all  grow  up 
unto  the  fulness  of  the  image  of  God  1 

A  common  excuse  which-  men  provide  for  their  laxity  of 
opinion,  and  utter  indifference  in  forming  it,  is  the  variety  of 
creeds  adopted  in  the  Christian  world.  This  fact  is  greedily 
caught  up  by  all  the  superficial,  by  all  the  indifferent,  by 
every  gainsayer  of  the  faith.  The  Bible,  it  seems,  is  an  un- 
sorted  heap  of  dogmas,  a  vast  magazine  of  the  conflicting 
opinions  of  innumerable  sects ;  its  spirit  is  the  spirit  of  free- 
thinking.  I  would  that  these  persons  would  in  the  first  place 
inquire,  and  distinguish  between  creeds,  which  are  the  ephe- 
meral mud-nurtured  spawn  of  our  own  luxurious  and  sunny 
times, — which  have  enervated  the  mind  and  made  it  at  once 
ignorant  and  rebellious,  indolent  and  unsteady ;  and  creeds 
which  have  grown  up  amid  blood  and  persecution,  when  able 
and  learned  men  were  compelled  to  concentrate  all  their  intel- 
lectual powers,  and  give  up  all  their  hearts  and  minds  to  that 
word  in  whose  truth  alone  they  could  find  rest  or  happiness. 
How  beautifully  harmonious  in  all  essentials  are  these  latter ; 
what  an  unity  of  spirit  do  they  breathe  under  such  manifold 
varieties  of  men,  of  customs,  of  countries,  of  circumstances. 
I  would  that  in  the  next  place  they  would  seek  and  distin- 
guish essentials  from  accidentals.  The  former  must  ever  be 
the  same,  the  latter  will  depend  upon  times  and  circumstances. 
These,  rated  at  their  highest,  can  be  nothing  more  than  the 
limbs  of  the  outward  body,  which  may  be  absent  without  any 
loss  of  life,  without  the  least  detriment  to  mental  and  spiritual 
vigour,  though  not  to  comeliness  and  usefulness.  But  those, 
like  the  parts  of  the  inward  body,  the  lungs,  the  heart,  and 
the  rest  of  the  vitals,  are  such,  that  if  one  be  absent  or  imper- 
fect, the  whole  body  must  perish.     The  sign  of  the  cross  may 


20  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

be  retained  or  rejected  ;  but  the  divinity  of  Christ  cannot  be 
asserted,  or  denied.  And  woe  to  him  who  quotes  variety  of 
opinion  on  the  former  question,  to  excuse  his  indifference  to 
the  latter. 

On  a  wise  and  ingenuous  mind,  the  sight  of  such  varieties, 
so  far  from  producing  the  effect  of  indifference,  will  rather 
impress  an  earnest  desire  to  seek  for  himself,  and  search  into 
the  whole  truth.  Therefore,  my  brethren,  let  no  indolence 
dissuade  us  from  this ;  let  no  worldly  business  or  pleasure 
distract  us  from  this.  Let  us  begin  it  with  a  pure,  earnest, 
and  humble  heart,  so  that  no  caprice  or  predisposing  affection 
shall  direct  us  exclusively  to  one  point, — so  that  no  perverse 
vanity  shall  prompt  us  to  lay  undue  stress  on  any  part,  which 
shall  thus  overthrow  the  just  balance  of  the  whole, — so  that 
no  love  of  singularity  and  paradox  shall  allure  us  to  exhibit 
the  whole  under  new  and  unnatural  combinations  of  parts ; 
nor  all  of  these,  the  besetting  infirmities  of  our  day,  conspire 
to  satisfy  us  that  we  have  learned  enough,  whensover  it  shall 
be  our  pleasure  to  leave  off.  Under  a  deep  and  due  sense  of 
the  awful  responsibility  to  which  a  Revelation  from  God,  and, 
above  all,  that  through  Christ,  subjects  us,  looking  to  him 
and  not  unto  man,  let  us  begin  and  proceed  in  our  work, 
reading,  marking,  learning,  and  inwardly  digesting.  Nor  let 
us  flatter  ourselves,  as  we  discuss  each  point,  that  the  opinion 
to  which  we  shall  come  will  not  be  momentous.  A  wrong 
opinion  taken  up,  where  God  had  put  in  our  power  a  clue  to 
a  right,  is  no  infirmity,  but  a  sin,  a  grievous  sin,  involving 
many  sins, — as  perverseness,  unthankfulness,  recklessness, 
want  of  sincerity,  contempt  of  God's  gifts,  indifference  to  his 
honour  and  glory.  However,  therefore,  when  we  come  from 
our  chamber  to  the  society  of  men,  we  may  view  with  charity, 
yea,  even  wdth  affection,  the  entertainers  of  erroneous  doc- 
trine, yet  with  the  doctrine  itself  we  must  make  no  compro- 
mise, nor,  like  the  false  prophets  of  old,  cry  out,  "  peace, 
peace,"  where  there  can  be  no  peace.  A  Christian's  charity 
will  lead  him  to  think  and  hope  the  best  of  his  neighbour, 
and,  above  all,  he  will  fear  to  judge,  lest  he  be  judged.  But 
his  love  of  truth,  his  allegiance  to  his  Saviour,  his  fear  of 
God,  will  not  allow  him  for  a  moment  to  conceive,  that  he 
himself,  under  all  his  own  peculiar  means  and  opportunities, 
would  not  be  in  a  most  perilous  state,  were  he  to  maintain 
the  same  opinions,  or  even  to  give  them  the  least  indulgence, 
when  produced  before  him.     This  last  is  that  spurious  mis- 


ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION.  21 

named  charity,  and  real  ancharitableness,  which  goes  to 
destroy  two  souls  at  once, — both  of  him  in  error  who  might 
have  been  convinced,  and  of  himself  who  bears  with  that 
error  which  he  might  have  convicted. 

We  are  God's  work,  God's  property,  to  the  very  inmost 
chambers   of  our  mind.      Him,  therefore,  must  we   serve, 
his  will  must  we  seek  and  obey ;  nor  can  we  act  according  to 
his  will  in  the  body,  without  first  thinking  according  to  his 
will  in  the  mind.     God  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  punish 
the  deed  alone.     We  shall  think  the  cognizance  of  all-seeing 
God  is  imperfect  as  that  of  purblind  man,  and  shall  resemble 
those  weak  knaves  who  reckon  indifferent  all  which  the  law 
does  not  enforce,  if  we  shall  imagine  that  our  opinions,  how- 
ever sincerely  held,  are  indifferent  before  God.     To  him  we 
must  account  for  the  manner  in  which  they  have  been  formed. 
Man  punishes  with  his  law  as  far  as  his  cognizance  can 
reach.     Shall  not  then  the  supreme  Lawgiver  and  Governor 
punish  to  the  extent  of  his  cognizance  also-ythat  is,  to  the 
very  bottom  of  the  heart,  to  the  inmost  recesses  of  our  un- 
derstanding 1     What !  shall  He  whose  eye  is  over  all  be  limit- 
ed, like  man,  to  the  view  of  the  outward  shape  in  which  a 
thought  is  expressed  1  shall  he  but  stand  outside  the  door  to 
gather  the  overheard  and  doubtful  signs  of  the  iniquity  going 
on  within,  having  no  authority  to  enter ;  or  shall  he  not  enter 
at  once,  with  the  scourge  of  vengeance  in  his  hand?     Two 
grand  errors  are  continually  besetting  us  on  this  point  of  fol- 
lowing diligently  up  to  its  full  extent  a  Revelation  from  God. 
One  is  an  overweening  opinion  of  the  supremacy  of  our  will 
over  our  understanding ;  the  other  is  an  under-rating  of  the 
responsibility  of  our  understanding.     The  former  arises  from 
distinguishing  the  understanding  in  contrast  from  the  heart ; 
and  because  this  implicitly  obeys  the  impressions  from  with- 
out, while  that,  at  the  same  time,  is  independent  of  them, 
men  are  led  to  conceive  that  their  will,  which  is  thus  con- 
trouled  in  the  one,  has  its  full  sway  in  the  other.    A  grievous 
and  fatal  mistake  this ;  for  seldom  is  it  the  intellectual  will 
which  leads  us  to  the  choice  of  subjects  for  the  understanding; 
and  even  this,  however  independent  we  may  think  it,  may  be 
enslaved  in  consequence  of  an  improper  choice.     For  a  wrong 
opinion,  once  adopted  by  the  understanding,  may  ever  after, 
by  influencing  his  feelings,  and  administering  to  his  passions, 
hold  the  person  captive,  so  that  he  shall  not  command  even  a 
wish  to  be  free.     Thus  the  understanding  may  be  blinded,  no 

r<    *> 


22  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OF  REVELATION. 

less  than  the  heart  may  be  hardened ;  and  the  one  requires 
for  its  health,  to  be  fed  with  right  reason,  no  less  than  the 
other,  for  its  soundness,  with  right  affection.  Therefore,  let 
us  beware  how  we  disqualify  ourselves  for  accepting  in  purity 
and  fulness  the  Revelation  of  God,  by  tampering  with  this 
momentous  faculty,  by  darkening  the  sight  of  the  mind,  by 
losing  all  use  and  exercise  of  such  an  instrument.  Shall  we 
be  excused  for  incapacity  of  knowing  God's  will,  when  we 
have  wilfully  brought  that  incapacity  upon  ourselves  ]  Then 
will  the  poltroon,  who  has  purposely  maimed  his  best  limb, 
be  excused  his  inefficiency  for  service.  Gradual  and  most 
insidious  are  the  advances  of  that  corruption  of  the  under- 
standing which  blinds  it  to  the  knowledge  of  God.  The  of- 
fences and  ailments  of  the  body  immediately  strike  and  dis- 
gust the  sense,  and  may  thus  raise  a  timely  alarm ;  but  those 
of  the  understanding  unveil  themselves  but  after  a  long  accu- 
mulation of  disease,  and  even  then  the  present  condition  of 
mind  and  body,  as  being  at  hand,  too  often  bears  the  blame 
of  the  thought,  word,  or  deed.  The  understanding,  from  its 
seeming  remoteness  from  the  scene  of  action,  obtains  an  alibi. 
And  hence  it  is  continually  allowed  to  sin,  because  it  is 
deemed  incapable  of  sinning. 

The  latter  error  is  not  less  momentous.  Most  awfully  re- 
sponsible are  we  for  the  use  and  abuse  of  every  faculty  of 
mind,  whose  integrity  may  promote,  or  whose  perversion  may 
obstruct,  our  reception  of  so  inestimable  a  blessing  as  a  Re- 
velation from  God.  All  mankind  with  one  voice  concur  in 
condemning  the  man  who  is  heedless  of  natural  religion,  as  a 
monster,  as  a  wild  beast,  whom  human  society  cannot  away 
with.  What  ought  they,  if  consistent,  to  think  of  him  who 
slights  revealed  religion  1  If  the  apostle  has  solemnly  de- 
clared that  men  were  inexcusable  in  neglecting  to  derive  a 
knowledge  of  the  Godhead,  or  in  drawing  wrong  deductions 
upon  the  same,  from  his  visible  works,  are  they  not  much 
more  inexcusable,  who,  from  want  of  attention,  or  from  cor- 
rupt passions,  or  from  both,  either  neglect  or  recklessly  form 
false  notions  of  his  written  word,  of  his  expressed  will,  which 
is  not  unseen,  and  to  be  gathered  by  a  train  of  reasoning  from 
things  seen,  but  lies  open  and  visible  before  their  eyes  1  Will 
he  bear  with  those  for  a  moment,  who  content  themselves 
with  vague  and  inadequate  notions  of  his  nature  and  relations 
to  man,  when  he  has  not,  as  of  old,  darkly  hinted  them  through 
the  ordinary  operations  of  Providence,  but  peculiarly  inter- 


ox  THE  OBJECTS  OP  REVELATION.  23 

fered  to  blazen  them  forth  by  a  series  of  stupendous  signs 
and  wonders.  He  has  not  abandoned  us  to  cold  deductions 
of  reason;  he  has  actually  infused  distinct  and  abiding-  prin- 
ciples into  Our  understandings,  yea,  and  warm  and  holy  af- 
fections into  our  hearts.  He  has  given  us  the  whole  spiritual 
man,  and  the  whole  spiritual  man  he  claims  from  us ;  not  the 
maimed,  not  the  sickly,  not  the  deformed,  but  the  entire,  the 
vigorous,  the  upright,  in  all  its  members  and  proportions ;  even 
the  new  man  fashioned  after  Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  hath  given 
us,  and  not  after  the  w^orld,  which  he  hath  bidden  us  renounce. 
Assuredly  if  ever,  if  any  how,  if  any  where,  man  was  without 
excuse  for  spiritual  ignorance,  it  is  in  these  latter  days,  under 
this  prodigality  of  Revelation,  and  in  this  Church  of  Christ. 

The  moral  blessings  of  a  Revelation  have  appeared  in  the 
course  of  our  argument;  but  equally  great  also  are  the  intel- 
lectual. In  every  department  of  knowledge  there  is  a  point 
of  exceeding  self-gratulation  and  delight,  as  well  as  of  en- 
joyment of  mental  power ;  and  that  is,  when  we  have  arrived 
through  the  detail  of  the  several  parts  to  a  full  comprehension 
of  the  whole.  It  is  faintly  imagined  by  the  delight  of  the 
traveller,  who,  having  long  threaded  the  different  roads,  ex- 
plored the  various  towns  and  villages,  followed  the  different 
streams  of  a  country,  surveys  them  afterwards  as  one  great 
whole,  combined  into  one  view,  from  the  commanding  sum- 
mit of  a  mountain.  He  then  sees  the  bearings  which  had 
before  perplexed  his  ignorance,  and  in  one  glance,  and  in  one 
moment  of  time,  summons  before  him  what  he  had  hitherto 
gradually  and  painfully  explored  in  detail.  He  feels  as  if 
he  had  risen  in  his  rank  of  being. 

But  in  the  corresponding  case  of  spiritual  knowledge,  we 
do  not  only  survey  a  delicious  land  of  promise  from  a  spiritual 
Pisgah, — we  do  not  only  from  a  lofty  mountain,  in  company 
with  our  Lord,  see  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  spiritual  world, 
and  the  glory  of  them,  but  we  have  mounted  far  above  the 
region  of  doubt  and  perplexity;  we  stand  upon  a  rock,  and 
that  rock  is  Christ, — a  position  immovable,  eternal. 

Let  us  not,  therefore,  O  brethren  and  partners  in  the  Reve- 
lation of  Christ  Jesus,  neglect  so  great  salvation.  In  refusing 
it,  think  ye  that  we  shall  have  refused  once  only,  which  is  a 
sin  sufficiently  great,  or  twice  only,  which  is  a  sin  more  fear- 
ful still  1  O  no !  we  shall  have  refused  thrice,  and  what  shall 
save  us  then,  what  further  means  shall  renew  us  to  repentance 
then  1     For  thrice  hath   God,  by  his  merciful  intervention 


24  ON  THE  OBJECTS  OP  REVELATION. 

with  fallen  man",  delivered  his  Revelation  upon  earth.  Once 
in  Paradise,  again  from  Mount  Sinai,  and  lastly  from  Mount 
Calvary.  Happy  the  forgetful  Heathen,  happy  the  rejecting 
Jew,  compared  with  the  heedless  Christian.  With  fear  and 
trembling,  then,  at  our  responsibility;  with  joy  and  gratitude 
for  the  gift ;  with  faith  and  hope  in  his  promises,  let  us  ac- 
cept in  heart  and  mind  his  blessed  word ;  reckoning  the  know- 
ledge of  this  the  only  wisdom, — the  practice  of  its  doctrines 
the  only  virtue, — the  delight  of  acquiring  the  graces  thence 
derived  the  only  joy, — the  calm  and  serenity  which  it  in- 
spires the  only  peace, — the  affections  which  it  moulds  and 
creates  the  only  love, — the  reward  which  it  offers  the  only 
prize, — the  way  which  it  points  out  the  only  road  to  everlasting 
life.  So  help  us,  Almighty  God,  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord. 


25 


DISSERTATION  II. 


ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 

But  ye  are  come  unto  Mount  Stan,  and  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  to  the  heavenly  Jeirusalem,  and  to  an  innumerable 
company  of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly  of  the  church 
of  the  Jirst-born,  which  are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God 
the  judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect, 
and  to  Jesus,  the  mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  and  to  the 
blood  of  sprinkling  that  speaketh  better  things  than  that  of 
Mel.—Ueh.  xii.  22—24. 

The  term  "  Church,"  or  "  Assembly  of  the  Lord,"  is  taken 
in  several  meanings,  more  or  less  restricted  ;  they  are,  how- 
ever, all  reducible  under  one  general  definition,  which  is,  "  an 
assembly  of  creatures  united  in  the  worship  of  God,  accord- 
ing to  his  expressed  will :"  hence  from  the  first  moment  of 
the  creation  of  a  class  of  rational  beings,  to  whom  God  had 
signified  his  will,  the  Church  of  God  commenced ;  and  at  the 
instant  before  the  fall  of  man,  it  comprehended  the  innume- 
rable company  of  angels  in  heaven,  and  our  first  parents  upon 
earth.  All  were  then  true  and  lively  members,  all  possessed 
with  the  same  spirit :  the  will  of  God,  being  the  will  of  all 
his  creatures,  bound  them  into  one  perfect  society ;  flesh  was 
in  unity  with  the  spirit,  the  outward  and  the  inward  man 
were  the  same,  and  old  and  new  were  terms  inapplicable 
alike  to  body  and  to  mind.  But  from  that  sad  hour  a  woful 
change  began,  which  broke  into  fragments  all  this  lovely  har- 
mony :  the  will  of  man  was  no  longer  the  will  of  God ;  ac- 
cordingly, he  was  separated  from  this  spiritual  society,  cut  off 
from  the  communion  of  angels.  God,  however,  by  his  special 
intervention,  again  revealing  his  will  to  man,  under  his  altered 
circumstances,  the  Church  was  re-established  upon  earth. 
But  now,  since  the  will  and  the  profession  were  but  too  often 
distinct,  it  had  also  its  distinction  of  visible  and  invisible ; 


26  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CONSTITUTION  OF 

the  latter  alone  being  that  which  maintained  an}'-  real  connex- 
ion with  the  spiritual  society  of  heaven,  and  being  united 
with  it,  in  proportion  as  the  will  of  the  regenerated  man 
approached  to  the  will  of  the  original  innocent  man :  thus  the 
Church  of  God,  under  the  peculiar  title  of  militant  upon  earth, 
commenced  a  new  career.  Alas,  the  sad  distinction  implied 
in  this  title !  She  was  now  set  apart  from  the  Church  in 
heaven,  and  alas,  its  too  pregnant  meaning !  for  she  was  now 
to  be  militant  in  a  long  and  almost  desperate  warfare  against 
sin  and  death,  and  the  banded  powers  of  hell,  made  insolent 
and  resolute  by  their  newly  achieved  victory.  From  the  mo- 
ment of  her  dethronement  from  heaven,  she  has  been  clad  as 
a  penitent  in  sackcloth ;  for  her  crown  of  glory,  she  has  had 
the  sprinkling  of  dust  and  ashes  on  her  shorn  head ;  for  robes 
of  peace  and  righteousness,  she  has  been  laden  with  the 
armour  of  battle;  for  the  joyous  song  of  uninterrupted  thanks- 
giving, of  the  acknowledgment  of  unbounded  bliss  from  a 
holy  incorrupt  heart,  she  has  had  a  new  song  put  into  her 
mouth,  the  mournful  elegy  of  confession  of  sinful  unworthi- 
ness,  of  acknowledgment  of  the  justice  of  God's  chastise- 
ment, of  deprecation  of  his  wrath  and  vengeance :  instead  of 
innocence  she  has  repentance,  instead  of  enjoyment  she  is 
presented  with  hope.  Reduced  to  this  sad  change  of  condi- 
tion, she  is  now  sojourning  with  all  her  sons,  as  in  a  pilgrim- 
age, in  these  realms,  below,  wearied  and  to  be  wearied 
continually,  almost  unto  fainting;  yea,  sometimes  brought 
even  unto  death's  door,  awaiting  in  all  patience  and  hope, 
that  hour  when  the  forfeit  of  death  shall  have  been  paid  by 
all  her  children  at  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God  shall  once  again  enter  upon  undivided,  undis- 
puted possession  of  our  minds  and  bodies,  breathing  into 
them  perfect  innocence  and  everlasting  life ;  and  men  and 
angels,  once  again  joined  in  close  communion,  shall  glorify 
their  Creator,  singing  the  song  of  redemption  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  evermore,  Avorld  without  end. 

In  proceeding  to  consider  the  Church  under  this  restricted 
sense,  we  must  revert  to  the  circumstances  of  the  fall.  The 
sum  of  the  sad  change  wrought  in  man's  moral  nature  was, 
that  his  will  was  no  longer  the  will  of  God.  He  now  knew 
evil,  and  did  evil ;  discontent  with  his  present  condition,  un- 
controulable  appetites,  overweening  pride  and  ambition,  utter 
perplexity  upon  the  attributes  of  God,  thenceforward  took 
possession  of  him.     His  eyes  indeed  were  opened ;  he  knew 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  27 

more  than  he  did  before ;  but  not,  alas,  of  heavenly  things,  but 
of  the  powers  of  hell,  the  existence  of  which  God  had  hitherto 
kept  secret  from  him  :  once  he  knew  but  of  angels,  but  now 
of  devils  also :  from  the  spiritual  he  at  once  became  a  natural 
man.  He  was  now  without  God  in  the  world,  and,  notwith- 
standing his  stiff-necked  pride,  yet  his  consciousness  of  the 
degradation  of  sin,  his  sense  of  irretrievable  loss,  his  assu- 
rance of  everlasting  death,  (into  all  which  we  cannot  with 
any  sympathy  enter,  never  having  tasted  the  contrast  of 
innocence  and  immortality,)  these  would  overwhelm  his 
mind  with  all  the  agony  of  fruitless  remorse,  with  all  the 
hard-hearted  recklessness  of  despair.  He  was  an  utter  cast- 
away from  God.  Such  was  his  state  when  he  was  met  by 
God,  with  the  promise  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  should 
bruise  the  serpent's  head.  Intending  to  explain  this  promise 
in  the  next  discourse,  I  shall  here  take  for  granted,  tliat  it 
implies  an  eventual  restoration  to  his  former  bliss  and  purity  by 
means  of  a  Saviour,  who  was  to  rise  from  among  his  own  seed. 
Under  this  view  of  it,  coupled  with  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  given,  we  shall  discover  the  revelation  of  all 
those  points  which  we  saw,  in  the  last  discourse,  were  neces- 
sary to  be  revealed  to  the  natural  man,  before  he  could  have 
any  apprehension  of  heavenly  things. 

First  of  all :  he  of  course  retained  from  his  previous  state, 
all  his  knowledge  of  God  as  the  Creator  and  sustainer  of  the 
universe. 

Secondly :  his  sentence  of  death  and  assurance  of  restora- 
tion unveiled  the  attributes  of  God,  as  moral  governor  of  the 
universe,  affording  him  the  most  signal  instance  of  all  which 
the  world  has  ever  seen,  (except  in  our  blessed  Lord,)  both 
of  his  justice  and  of  his  mercy. 

Thirdly :  the  promise  of  restoration  to  a  being  just  fallen 
from  a  state  of  immortality,  could  be  nothing  else  than  an 
assurance  of  a  life  to  come  everlasting,  and  in  the  same  body, 
in  which  he  had  enjoyed  his  previous  immortality. 

Fourthly :  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is  evidently  conveyed 
here. 

Fifthly :  the  assistance  of  God's  grace  is  clearly  implied  on 
comparing  the  circumstances  of  the  whole  transaction. 

These  communications  on  the  part  of  God  will  demand, 
and  call  forth,  corresponding  qualities  on  the  part  of  man; 
which  will  be,  repentance,  on  receiving  the  inestimable  and 
unexpected  forgiveness  of  God,  with  resolution  of  amend- 


28  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CONSTITUTION  OF 

ment.  As  remorse  is  the  offspring  of  despair,  so  is  this 
quality  of  Hope  and  Faith,  by  which  alone  he  could  lay  hold 
of  that  hope,  and  heartily  accept  the  promise,  and  maintain 
his  assurance  of  its  performance. 

And  since  it  is  by  these  two  qualities  that  he  lays  hold  of 
the  promise  of  the  bliss  to  come,  he  will  consider  the  exhi- 
bition of  them  and  their  fruits,  that  is,  holiness  of  life,  requi- 
site to  its  final  attainment.  But  man's  relation  has  been 
entirely  changed  by  this  offer  of  God,  so  that  if  everlasting 
death  was  his  lot  before,  it  will  not  be  so  now  :  and  therefore, 
inasmuch  as  his  acceptance  meets  with  everlasting  happiness, 
so  will  his  rejection  with  its  co-ordinate,  everlasting  misery. 
Thus  is  deduced  a  state  of  future  retribution. 

Thus  the  Church  of  God,  commencing  at  the  fall,  contains 
all  the  fundamental  articles,  the  maintaining  of  which,  distin- 
guishing the  spiritual  from  the  natural  mar,  has  been  required 
by  it,  and  will  be  required  by  it  throughout  all  ages.  But 
this  Church  was  to  consist,  not  of  two  cotemporary  individu- 
als, but  of  successive  companies  of  men ;  hence  ordinances 
will  be  required  to  regulate  the  pure  transmission  of  its  creed. 
By  means  of  these,  man  will  renew  his  memory,  and  God  will 
repeat  his  assurances.     They  are — 

First :  Prophecy,  originating  in  this  promise,  and  carrying 
it  on  through  successive  ages. 

Secondly  :  Sacrifice,  which  is  indeed  prophecy  in  a  bodily 
shape,  being  a  vivid  representation  of  what  was  to  come. 
We  encounter  this  rite  as  soon  as  we  are  introduced  to  the 
sons  of  Adam. 

Thirdly :  the  observation  of  the  Sabbath,  being  the  only 
remnant  of  the  Church  of  Paradise.  This  would  be  a  stated 
season  for  sacrifice,  and  thus  transmit  the  original  revelation. 

Such  then  are  the  articles,  and  such  the  ordinances  com- 
mon and  necessary  to  the  universal  Church  of  all  ages,  down 
from  Adam  until  now.  But  as  all  flow  from  the  promise  of 
God  made  to  him,  and  as  this  promise  is  renewed  from  time 
to  time  by  means  of  prophecy,  expanding  ever  as  the  period 
of  fulfilment  draws  nigh,  it  is  evident  that  both  the  creed 
and  the  ordinances  of  the  Church  will  also  extend.  In  this 
view  the  duration  of  the  Church  is  first  of  all  divisible  into 
two  great  periods,  the  one  comprising  the  winding  up  of  the 
fundamental  prophecy,  the  other  containing  the  unravelling 
of  the  same  :  these  are  termed  by  the  Jewish  prophets  the 
former  and  latter  days, — as  preceding  or  succeeding  the  main 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  29 

point  of  accomplishment, — and  are  as  distinct  as  the  dark 
and  enlightened  hemispheres  of  our  globe.  But  the  former 
period  admits  of  a  sub-division,  made  by  the  solemn  renewal 
of  the  original  promise,  by  the  special  interference  of  God 
in  covenant  with  Abraham  and  his  children,  which  was 
finally  sealed  on  Mount  Sinai.  Hence  there  are  altogether 
three  periods,  essentially  distinct  from  each  other,  in  which 
the  Church  is  respectively  denominated  the  Patriarchal,  the 
Jewish,  and  the  Christian.  As  the  fall  of  man  begins  the  first, 
and  his  restoration  opens  the  third,  the  second  commences 
with  an  intermediate  state  of  constraint  and  tutelage,  as  of 
one  who  had  abused  the  range  and  liberty  which  had  been 
allowed  him,  and  required  strong  discipline  before  he  was 
again  set  free  to  enjoy  the  full  liberty  of  the  Gospel.  In  the 
first,  man  is  admitted  to  the  light  of  spiritual  things,  but 
they  are  faint  and  distant.  In  the  second,  he  contemplates 
them  through  the  medium  of  gross  and  sensible  representa- 
tions ;  in  the  third,  this  intervening  veil  is  removed,  and  he 
sees  them  no  longer  distant,  but  face  to  face :  to  trace  the 
successive  development  of  the  creed  and  constitution  of  the 
Church  through  the  several  stages,  is  the  object  of  this  in- 
vestigation. But  the  present  discourse  will  be  confined  to 
considering  the  Church  as  a  society.  The  Church  of  God 
being  an  assembly  of  men  united  in  the  worship  of  God 
according  to  his  revealed  will,  unity  is  the  essential  property 
of  this  Church  ;  and  it  is  evident  that  this  unity  must  be  both 
spiritual  and  bodily.     We  will  first  examine  the  spiritual. 

The  spiritual  unity  is  twofold  :  a  number  of  beings  are  con- 
sidered as  one,  both  in  respect  to  community  of  nature,  and  to 
the  common  instrument  producing  such  community ;  in  other 
words,  it  is  both  essential  and  instrumental. 

Now  all  mankind  are  essentially  one  by  community  of  nature, 
derived  from  their  general  head  and  representative,  the  first 
man,  Adam.  But  what  a  representative  have  we  here  ]  how 
can  we,  united  under  such  a  head,  stand  up  before  God  for  a 
moment,  except  for  condemnation  and  death  I  For  this  Adam, 
in  whom  all  mankind  find  unity,  both  clean  and  unclean,  be- 
liever and  unbeliever,  must  be  the  fallen  un generated  Adam, 
the  Adam  of  sin  and  death ;  from  whom  deriving  our  unho- 
liness,  we  are  all  corrupt,  all  degraded,  all  condemned,  all 
denied  access  to  God,  cast  away  from  the  light  of  his  presence, 
cut  off  from  the  comfort  of  his  communion.  If,  therefore,  we 
have  recourse  to  our  common  father,  it  must  be  the  spiritual 
D 


30  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CONSTITUTION  OF 

Adam,  the  son  of  pardon  and  promise,  gathered  under  whom 
we  may  approach  God  as  justified  and  blessed.  But  neither 
is  this  sufficient.  Believers  are  not  thus  summed  up  under 
one  head.  The  Jew,  who  has  inherited  from  Abraham  a  co- 
venant so  much  more  bounteous,  will  scarcely  forego  so  great 
advantages  to  range  himself  by  the  side  of  those  who  are 
gathered  under  the  more  scanty  privileges  of  Adam.  The 
Christian,  who  has  derived  from  his  Saviour  spiritual  riches 
which  had  been  hidden  from  mankind  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,  will  scarcely  divest  himself  of  these  to  place  himself 
under  Abraham  as  head,  and  still  less  under  Adam.  In  this 
view,  therefore,  mankind,  with  respect  to  their  means  of  ap- 
pearing before  God  as  one  body,  that  is,  as  members  of  his 
Church,  would  be  separated  under  three  heads.  We  must  go 
deeper  then  for  our  principle  of  unity.  Now,  altliough  the 
person  in  whom  each  covenant  is  made  be  different  in  the 
above  cases,  the  person  who  is  the  object  of  the  promise  of 
each  covenant  is  all  along  the  same ;  in  him  both  Adam  and 
Abraham,  with  all  their  children,  have  one  and  the  same  in- 
terest ;  in  him,  their  Redeemer,  all  stand  redeemed,  and  there- 
fore holy  and  acceptable  before  God.  Under  the  shelter  of 
His  wing  of  healing,  who  will  gather  us  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  young  chickens,  we  are  all  glad  to  crowd.  Our 
essential  unity  then  consists  in  all  being  one,  under  and  in 
Christ  Jesus,  who  is  the  second  Adam,  in  whom  we  are,  by 
regeneration,  all  one  in  our  spiritual  essence  unto  everlasting 
life  and  bliss ;  even  as,  by  generation,  we  are  all  one  in  our 
natural  essence  in  the  first  Adam,  unto  condemnation  and 
death. 

But  how  are  all  believers  from  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
thus  one  in  Christ  Jesus  1  This  will  immediately  appear 
from  the  consideration  of  the  instrumental  unity. 

Our  minds  must  for  this  purpose  have  in  common  some 
grand  moving  principle,  which  shall  direct  them  all  to  one 
end,  and  fix  them  all  upon  one  object.  It  is  obvious,  that 
none  of  the  principles  of  this  world  will  answer  the  purpose, 
for,  were  there  no  other  objection,  they  all  stop  short  at  dif- 
ferent stages  in  different  minds.  But  neither  will  all  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  next  world,  love  of  God  for  instance.  But  it 
must  be  that  principle  to  which  all  the  rest  are  subordinate, 
which  awakes  them  all,  and  gives  all  their  final  object.  And 
this  is  faith  in  the  Redeemer,  who  is  the  object  of  all  promise ; 
by  this  our  spirits  are  all  brought  into  unison :  through  this 


THE  CHURCH  OP  GOD.  31 

we  all  love,  bless,  and  adore  God,  with  the  same  love  for  the 
same  blessing :  by  this  we  all  join  in  laying  hold  of  his 
gracious  promises :  by  this  we  all  become  of  one  mind,  and 
are  also  of  one  mind  with  Christ  Jesus,  and  we  are  thus  joined 
to  our  spiritual  head  as  a  well  compacted  body.  By  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus,  says  the  apostle,  (Gal.  iii.  26,)  we  are  all  the 
children  of  God ;  all  natural  distinctions  are  done  away ;  mas- 
ter and  slave,  Jew  and  Heathen,  male  and  female,  are  all  one 
in  him.  By  this  are  united  men  of  the  most  distant  ages  and 
countries ;  Adam  with  his  latest  descendant ;  the  Patriarch 
who  saw  Christ  in  spirit,  with  the  Apostle  who  saw  him  in  the 
flesh ;  the  Jew  who  looked  forward  to  his  coming,  with  the 
Christian  who  looks  backward  upon  it ;  all  are  brethren  of 
one  another,  and  of  him  who  is  not  ashamed  to  call  us 
brethren.  And  however  the  view  which  faith  upholds  to 
the  eyes  of  distant  generations  may  vary  in  growing  clear- 
ness and  extent,  still  it  is  essentially  the  same,  directed  on 
to  the  same  object,  awakening  the  same  hopes,  and  infusing 
the  same  holy  principles. 

But,  on  account  of  the  variety  just  mentioned,  which  will 
aifect  its  mode  of  expression,  and  its  intermediate  objects,  we 
must  be  careful  to  distinguish  between  the  fundamental  arti- 
cles of  faith  which  unite  men  of  all  periods,  and  those  which 
unite  men  of  any  particular  period  only.  The  narrow  extent 
of  belief  required  in  one  stage  of  the  Church,  would  be  infi- 
delity in  a  later  stage,  to  which  revelation  had  come  down 
cleared  and  amplified.  Thus,  while  the  faith  is  essentially 
the  same,  the  notions  of  the  character  of  the  Redeemer,  and  the 
objects  conveyed  to  the  mind  by  the  vehicles  of  prophecy  and 
sacrifice,  will  differ  both  in  clearness  and  number.  The  Re- 
deemer may  be  expected  to  arise  at  some  undetermined  pe- 
riod from  amidst  the  great  body  of  mankind,  and  with  faint 
notions  of  his  attributes,  as  by  the  Patriarch :  or  may  be 
looked  for  from  the  line  of  David,  within  a  specified  period, 
and  with  no  obscure  prospect  of  the  manner  in  which  he  was 
to  fulfil  his  high  ofiice,  as  by  the  spiritual  Jew  :  or  may  be 
beheld  as  already  come,  with  a  clear  and  complete  knowledge 
of  his  character  and  office,  as  by  the  Christian.  Again ;  pro- 
phecy may  limit  the  view  to  one  grand  spiritual  object  in 
prospect,  as  it  did  to  the  Patriarch  :  or  take  in  a  vast  field  of 
preparatory  and  collateral  events,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Jew : 
or  have  been  accomplished  in  the  grand  end  expected  by 
them,  and  run  on  still  further  into  the  regions  of  time,  with 


32  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CONSTITUTION  OP 

a  long'  train  of  events,  directed  on  to  the  consummation  of  all 
thing's,  as  it  does  to  the  Christian.  Sacrifice  may  be  offered 
by  each  person,  at  any  place,  as  by  the  Patriarch :  or  may  be 
limited  to  persons,  place,  and  time,  as  with  the  Jew :  and,  as 
in  both  cases,  may  dimly  pre-figure,  though  in  the  latter  case 
by  numerous  and  pointed  types,  what  was  to  come :  or,  its 
types  having  been  realized,  it  may  give  way  to  a  rite  com- 
memorative of  its  realization,  as  with  the  Christian.  The 
one  great  day  in  seven  may  be  consecrated  to  the  memory  of 
the  creation,  as  by  the  Patriarch :  or  may  in  addition  com- 
memorate a  signal  temporal  deliverance,  and  rest  from  labour, 
as  with  the  Jew :  or  may  be  set  apart,  changed  to  another 
day,  for  the  celebration  of  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord, 
whereby  was  wrought  a  spiritual  creation,  a  spiritual  deliver- 
ance, a  spiritual  rest  from  labour,  as  with  the  Christian.  In 
all  these  cases  the  main  object  of  faith  is  the  same.  Yet  did 
the  Christian  embrace  no  more  objects  in  his  belief  than  the 
Jew,  nor  the  Jew  than  the  Patriarch,  they  would  each  be 
guilty  of  apostacy.  But  the  faith  which  unites  men  of  one 
particular  period  must  evidently  be  the  same ;  must  have  the 
same  clearness,  the  same  number  of  objects,  in  short  the 
same  articles,  the  quantity  of  revelation  being  precisely  the 
same;  hence,  while  unity  of  faith  cements  the  Church  of  all 
ages,  unity  of  doctrine  cements  the  Churches  of  the  same 
age.  And  this  unity  is  wrought  by  the  word  of  God,  which, 
being  originally  given  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  also  maintained 
in  all  purity  by  the  same,  in  the  heart  of  the  earnest  hearer, 
whom  the  same  Spirit  hath  brought  to  entertain  it.  Thus 
this  blessed  agent  effects  in  the  moral  world  an  operation 
similar  to  that  which  he  performed  in  the  natural,  brooding 
on  the  surface  of  the  abyss  of  wild  and  stormy  human  pas- 
sions, over  the  darkness  of  wayward  imaginations,  compel- 
ling by  his  energy  into  order  and  form  the  chaotic  elements. 
He  thus  helpeth  our  infirmities,  and,  supplying  quickness 
where  the  faculties  are  dull,  candour  where  the  mind  is  per- 
verse, patience  where  it  is  hasty,  humility  where  it  is  vain, 
docility  where  it  is  headstrong,  purity  where  it  is  foul ;  re- 
moving thus  the  grand  wall  of  partition  between  man  and 
the  truth,  filling  his  heart  with  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  brings 
all  men  to  be  of  one  mind  in  Jesus  Christ,  so  that  all  may  be 
built  up  together  into  an  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit. 
Being,  therefore,  one  in  Christ,  and  obtaining  that  union 
through  faith  in  Christ,  the  true  members  of  his  Church 


THE  CHURCH  OP  GOD.  33 

form  the  company  of  the  saints  in  light,  are  all  redeemed,  all 
sanctified,  all  glorified.  In  him  they  have  a  representative 
who  can  not  only  stand  before  the  Father  who  dwelleth  in 
unapproachable  light,  but  is  also  one  with  him ;  thus  have 
they  sure  access  to  God  ;  and  to  him  as  its  head,  its  king,  its 
bridegroom,  its  shepherd,  the  Church  as  his  body,  his  king- 
dom, his  spouse,  his  flock,  points  all  her  operations.  In  him, 
preordained  for  the  salvation  of  man  before  the  foundations 
of  the  world,  all  that  has  been  established  in  her  since  the 
world  began,  and  will  be  established  to  the  end  of  time,  finds 
unity  of  purpose.  Her  prayers,  her  prophecies,  her  sacrifices, 
her  oblations  and  thanksgivings,  are  all  pointed  towards  him  : 
her  consolations  and  her  censures  are  in  his  name ;  her  tribu- 
lations are  endured  for  his  sake;  her  joys  and  triumphs  are 
in  his  victory ;  and,  finally,  his  are  all  her  members,  in  heart 
and  mind,  word  and  deed,  in  the  life  present  and  in  the  life  to 
come.  Such  is  the  spiritual  unity  of  the  Church  of  God ;  to 
this,  as  an  accident  to  substance,  as  body  to  soul,  appertains 
the  bodily  unity,  which  we  have  now  to  consider. 

As  the  visible  Church  is  a  society  of  men,  to  whose  eyes 
spirit  is  indiscernible  except  by  effects  understood  in  the 
body,  they  obviously  require  for  spiritual  unity  an  assurance 
from  signs  in  the  body,  and  those  signs  will  be  either  conven- 
tional or  necessary ;  the  former  are  passive  forms  to  which 
we  are  obliged  to  have  recourse  in  order  to  regulate  place 
and  time  and  mode  of  worship,  and  afford  a  mutual  express- 
ion of  our  minds ;  the  latter  are  active  qualities,  exhibited 
in  our  moral  conduct,  being  the  fruits  of  the  spirit,  and  there- 
fore testifying  to  our  neighbour  every  hour,  by  word  or  deed, 
to  our  being  of  the  fellowship  of  the  company  of  saints. 
There  can  be  no  comparison  between  the  respective  value  of 
these  two  classes  of  signs.  Is  it  not  then  most  humiliating 
to  us,  that  all  the  anxieties  of  the  great  body  of  the  members 
of  the  visible  Church,  should  have  been  directed  to  the  for- 
mer, which  are  in  themselves  quite  indifferent,  which  give 
no  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  the  inward  man ;  and  that  they 
should  have  overlooked  the  latter,  which  are  of  vital  interest, 
and  cannot  (at  least  for  any  length  of  time)  be  counterfeited  1 

With  regard  to  the  first,  since  our  consent  in  their  use  is 
intended  to  designate  the  consent  of  our  minds  before  God, 
and  satisfy  one  another  that  we  present  ourselves  before  him, 
bound  together  in  the  bonds  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  it  is 
evident  that  their  foundation  must  lie  in  mutual  charity ;  yet 
D  2 


34  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CONSTITUTION  OP 

this,  alas!  is  the  very  quality  which  of  all  others  has  been 
most  neglected  in  the  case  of  these  outward  forms,  both  by 
the  imposer  of  them,  and  by  the  imposed.  It  is  indeed  a 
case  of  exceeding  delicacy  to  draw  every  possible  cord  of 
love  and  unity,  so  as  to  bring  our  spirits  into  the  most  com- 
plete concord,  and  at  the  same  time  to  beware  lest,  by  draw- 
ing too  many  and  too  tightly,  the  outward  signs  may  express 
much  more  than  the  inward  substance  can  correspond  to. 
With  regard  to  the  former  of  these  cases,  I  will  venture  to 
suggest  a  distinction  which  seems  to  have  been  but  little  at- 
tended to.  A  reformed  church  stands  in  very  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances :  the  very  increase  of  the  primitive  church,  both 
as  it  spread  among  nations,  and  shot  upward  into  the  higher 
ranks  of  society,  would  call  for  some  addition  of  forms  and 
ordinances ;  and  these  have  been  conveyed  into  every  quarter 
of  the  world,  and  there  continue,  notwithstanding  that  the 
purity  of  doctrine  which  accompanied  them  has  long  been 
most  wofuUy  defiled.  Any  one  of  these  corrupt  Churches 
then  which  sought  to  return  to  her  ancient  purity  of  faith, 
and,  in  consonance  with  that  also,  to  remodel  her  system  of 
rites  and  discipline,  will  not  narrow  her  views  to  the  nation 
wherein  is  her  dwelling-place ;  but  equally  long-sighted  and 
long-suffering,  combining  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent  with  the 
gentleness  of  the  dove,  she  will  look  also  to  her  sister 
Churches  still  benighted,  and  retain,  w^ere  it  but  for  charity's 
sake,  those  rites  and  ordinances  w^hich  they  received  together 
with  purity  of  faith.  She  thus  avoids  giving  a  needless 
shock  to  the  learned  and  candid  members  of  those  churches, 
(and  indeed,  also  of  her  own,)  and  keeps  open  a  door  to  per- 
fect union,  as  soon  as  ever  they  shall  divest  themselves  of 
hurtful  or  needless  superfluities.  And  if  such  Church  be  that 
of  a  nation,  to  which  God  hath  committed  exceeding  power 
and  influence  among  mankind,  still  more  is  she  bound  in 
charity  to  pursue  this  conduct,  in  proportion  to  the  conspicu- 
ous station  she  must  necessarily  hold.  All  this  should  be 
diligently  kept  in  view  by  her  own  members,  w^ho  should 
bear  in  mind  that  things  which  seem,  at  best,  indifferent, 
when  she  is  considered  individually,  are  any  thing  but  indif- 
ferent when  she  is  regarded  as  a  part  of  the  great  whole  of 
the  visible  Church  of  Christ.  With  this  comprehensive 
charity,  with  this  patient  looking  forward  to  a  most  desirable 
end,  acted  the  reformers  of  our  church ;  nor  have  the  fortunes 
of  our  nation  been  such  as  to  justify  us  in  contracting  either 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  o5 

one  or  the  other.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  latter  of 
these  cases,  these  signs  will  have  an  undue  estimation,  will 
encumber  and  hide  spirit  with  body,  essence  with  matter ;  an 
humble  means  will  be  mistaken  for  a  glorious  end ;  agree- 
ment in  lifeless  forms  will  be  substituted  for  agreement  in 
purity  of  life,  resulting  from  agreement  in  faith ;  and  thus 
the  imposer  will  puttogether  in  his  visible  communion,  nothing 
better  than  a  deformed  lifeless  corpse,  presenting  the  stillness 
of  death,  not  the  calmness  of  life ;  the  union  of  mere  adja- 
cent masses  of  flesh,  not  the  body  instinct  in  every  part  with 
spirit,  and,  instead  of  bringing  the  bonds  of  the  Church, 
which  are  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  upon  the  world,  will 
bring  the  bonds  of  the  world,  w^hich  are  lust  and  power,  upon 
the  Church.  Let  us,  however,  in  guarding  against  a  system 
which  presses  all  points,  beware  also  of  that  which  presses 
none ;  while  we  shrink  from  a  superstitious  reverence  for 
bodily  form,  avoid  also  an  affectation  of  spirituality  beyond 
the  limits  of  our  bodily  nature ;  while  we  shake  off  the  yoke 
thrown  on  our  necks  by  lust  of  power,  spurn  also  that  easy 
Epicurean  accommodation  which  results  from  indifference  to 
good,  and  connivance  at  evil ;  for  if  the  one  be  destructive  of 
charity  by  the  compulsion  to  which  it  resorts,  so  is  the  other 
equally,  by  denying  its  only  source,  a  pure  and  humble  faith. 
With  regard  to  the  second  class,  they  make  a  separation 
between  those  whom  the  former  would  keep  united.  These 
are  they  which  distinguish  the  member  of  the  invisible 
Church,  while  the  former  mark  but  the  member  of  the  visible. 
These  proceed  from  the  spirit,  and  so  appear  in  the  flesh,  and 
are  therefore  continual  and  abiding  in  it,  like  the  signs  of 
the  inward  soul,  which  never  quit  the  living  body ;  while  the 
others  are  mere  outward  affections,  which  may  occasionally 
be  absent,  and  may  be  present  even  in  a  dead  body.  These 
have  ever  set  apart  the  member  of  the  society  of  God's 
Church  from  the  member  of  the  society  of  this  world ;  by 
these  was  Abel  set  apart  from  Cain,  Shem  from  Ham,  the 
true  Israelite  from  the  false  Israelite,  the  true  Christian  from 
the  false  Christian;  these  signify  to  believers  that  their 
spirits  are  in  unity  by  possession  of  the  same  Holy  Spirit, 
poured  into  their  hearts ;  these  give  us  confidence  in  each 
other,  connect  our  mutual  actions,  supply  the  means  of  our 
mutual  intercourse.  As  the  virtues  in  the  society  of  the 
world,  such  are  these  graces  in  that  of  the  Church.  Now 
such  signs  must  manifestly  become  more  numerous  as  Reve- 


36  ON  THE   ORIGIN   AND  CONSTITUTION  OP 

lation  expands  ;  for  it  must  thus  ^adually  supply  more  and 
more  principles  on  which  we  must  act;  it  must  thus  take  in 
continually  a  greater  number  of  the  incidents  of  daily  life; 
until,  in  its  full  expansion  under  Christ,  it  hath  swept  into  its 
net  the  whole  of  our  conversation  on  earth,  taken  us  captive 
in  soul  and  body,  and  brought  into  subjection  the  entire  man, 
in  all  his  thoughts  and  movements.  In  this  our  last  stage  of 
the  church,  so  hath  the  gap  widened  between  it  and  the  world, 
that  their  societies  are  removed  as  far  asunder  as  the  rich 
man  and  Lazarus  :  yea,  farther ;  they  are  as  distinct  as  their 
respective  heads,  as  the  fallen  natural  man  and  he  who  hath 
blended  God  and  man  in  one  person.  Our  light  is  now  no 
longer  faintly  reflected  from  types,  no  longer  dimly  struggles 
through  the  veil  of  prophecy,  falling  but  obscurely  here  and 
there  upon  our  practice.  It  is  poured  out  uppn  it  in  a  full 
bright  stream  from  the  fountain  of  life  itself,  so  that  not  a 
point  is  left  unilluminated.  Hence  every  act  of  ours  will 
manifest  this  heavenly  source,  and  become  a  sign.  And 
these  signs  we  must  be  continually  exhibiting,  as  children 
of  light,  to  each  other,  assuring  each  other  of  our  fellow- 
feeling,  and  thus  bringing  our  spirits  into  union,  as  members 
under  their  great  head.  What  shall  we  think  now  of  those 
who  assert  that  a  man's  religion  is  a  mere  affair  between 
himself  and  his  Maker  1  Is  not  this  a  most  deplorable  error ; 
is  it  less  than  a  virtiial  denial  of  Christ  ]  A  man  cannot 
live  and  give  no  signs  of  life.  But  we,  whenever  we  meet 
with  a  brother,  must  be  ready  with  our  sign ;  and  where  two 
or  three  are  met  together,  not  for  prayer  alone,  they  must  so 
conduct  themselves  as  if  their  common  head  w^ere  among 
them.  They  will  refrain  from  evil  words,  and  address  them- 
selves to  good  in  conversation  ;  they  will  maintain  good  faith 
in  mutual  dealing,  and  show  themselves  possessed  by  the 
same  spirit,  and  to  be  one  in  the  same  head  and  lord,  Jesus 
Christ.  Our  Saviour  has  expressed  by  many  lively  parables, 
his  intimate  union  with  the  society  over  which  he  presides. 
He  has  termed  himself  the  bridegroom.  This  body,  then,  to 
which  he  has  been  married,  must  be  one  with  him  ;  every 
member  also  of  it  one  with  him ;  must  have  one  course  of 
action,  one  mind,  one  interest,  one  end ;  must  love  and  hate, 
cherish  and  reject,  hope  and  fear,  the  same  thing.  He  has 
called  himself  the  vine,  of  which  himself  is  the  main  tnmk, 
his  followers  the  branches.  Means  he  not  here  that  they  are 
all  parts  and  portions  of  himself;  that  from  him  they  derive. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  37 

as  branches  from  the  trunk,  their  sap,  draw  all  their  stream 
of  spiritual  nourishment,  their  very  inmost  and  vital  principle 
of  thoug-ht,  word  and  deed,  and  to  him,  in  the  duly  appointed 
season,  by  various  channels  of  works  of  love  to  fellow 
branches,  return  it ;  that  from  him  is  all  their  bloom  and 
beauty  of  holiness,  their  leaves,  their  flower,  and  their  fruit? 
And  does  he  not  lead  us  to  conclude  from  these  two  simili- 
tudes, that  whoever  is  not  intimately  united  with  him,  is  di- 
vorced, according  to  the  one,  as  being  unfaithful,  cut  off,  ac- 
cording to  the  other,  as  being  unsound  1  Moreover,  he  is  the 
shepherd,  of  whom,  if  one  of  the  flock  lose  sight,  he  is  lost 
in  the  wilderness :  he  is  the  way,  from  which  whoever  turns 
aside  loses  the  only  road  to  everlasting  life :  he  is  the  door, 
through  which  alone  is  the  entrance  into  the  city  of  eternal 
joy.  If  thus  intimate  be  our  union  with  Christ;  if  thus  our 
spirit,  in  all  its  thoughts  and  designs,  must  conspire  with  his 
spirit;  if  thus  every  act  of  our  life  must  be  referable  to  our 
union  with  him,  and  in  him  with  one  another,  how  can  we 
possibly,  unless  we  be  indeed  none  of  his,  cease  from  exhib- 
iting to  our  neighbours,  from  root  through  stem  to  topmost 
branch,  the  proofs  of  the  indwelling  sap  of  life,  the  signs 
and  marks  of  our  profession?  Such  is  the  Church  of  God, 
gathered  from  all  ages  and  nations  under  one  head,  informed 
by  one  spirit,  united  in  faith  and  works,  in  substance  and 
sign,  holy,  entire,  without  rent,  or  spot,  or  wrinkle. 

But  now,  perhaps,  it  may  be  asked  of  me,  where  is  this 
Church  of  Christ?  of  the  first  class  of  signs  of  its  existence 
we  see  indeed  enough,  and  too  often  much  more  than  enough. 
But  these,  it  is  confessed,  may  exist  in  the  body  after  the 
spirit  hath  fled.  But  where  is  the  other  class  of  signs,  which 
alone  can  assure  us  of  its  having  life  among  us  1  On  the 
moment  of  raising  our  heads  from  the  perusal  of  this  descrip- 
tion, and  looking  at  the  broad  Christian  world  before  us,  we 
see  nothing  corresponding.  On  the  contrary,  we  behold  its 
surface  like  the  plan  of  a  city  which  has  been  razed  by  war, 
or  overthrown  by  a  hurricane,  broken  up  into  shapeless  de- 
tached heaps ;  we  see  its  fair  region  here  darkened  with  de- 
basing superstition,  there  involved  in  the  still  deeper  gloom 
of  demoralizing  infidelity.  We  see  no  trace  of  unity  under  a 
common  head,  but  counsels  equally  devoid  of  holiness  and  of 
unity  of  purpose,  cold-blooded  interest  and  hot-blooded  pas- 
sion, maintaining  their  jar  of  unceasing  discord.  So  that  we 
are  at  a  loss  how  to  refute  from  facts  the  assertion  of  the  free- 


38  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CONSTITUTION  OP 

thinker,  who  maintains  that  religion  has  nothing  to  do  between 
man  and  man,  and  considers  it  as  nothing  more  than  a  busi- 
ness between  him  and  his  Maker ;  that  is,  an  abstracted  con- 
templation. Again,  if  we  turn  our  eyes  back  upon  the  records 
of  the  past,  we  are  still  surveying  the  same  sad  picture,  hear- 
ing the  same  doleful  tragedy,  which  palls  by  a  repetition  of 
the  same  heart-rending  scenes,  of  the  same  mournful  accents, 
of  the  same  wretched  catastrophe.  We  must  repeat,  there- 
fore, our  question,  "  Where  is  this  Church  of  Christ]" 

Brethren,  the  question  is  indeed  humiliating ;  it  may  well 
indeed  put  us  to  shame,  but  it  need  not  put  us  to  silence.  It 
may  well  put  us  to  shame,  for  what  can  be  a  greater  reproach 
upon  us  than  that  our  abuse  of  God's  most  precious  gift  should 
bring  doubts  upon  the  reality  of  the  gift  itself.  But  it  will 
not  put  us  to  silence,  for  it  is  founded  upon  a  superficial  view 
and  shallow  reflection.  We  will  even  help  the  objector  with 
his  charges.  We  will  remind  him  that  at  the  time  of  the 
flood  this  Church  had  dwindled  dowri  to  a  single  family ;  that 
again  it  increased,  but  again  to  dwindle,  like  a  precious  plant 
in  a  foreign  unkindly  soil :  that,  even  when  the  children  of 
Abraham  darkened  with  their  numbers  the  plenteous  land  of 
God's  accomplished  promise,  there  were  left  but  seven  thou- 
sand who  had  not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal :  that  the  general 
aspect  of  Christendom  at  this  day  is  mournful  and  perplexing. 
What  then '?  God  is  just,  and  man  is  unjust ;  God  hath  offered, 
but  man  hath  rejected  ;  God  hath  given,  but  man  hath  abused  ; 
so  that  were  not  a  vestige  of  the  Church  to  be  traced,  God  is 
justified.  But  neither  has  man,  by  God's  grace,  been  so  en- 
tirely wanting.  There  are  signs,  many  and  manifest,  of 
Christ's  true  Church  dwelling  among  us,  which  occur  to  all 
who  Avill  not  close  their  eyes,  if  these  objectors  will  but  look 
for  the  Church  militant,  and  not  for  the  Church  triumphant. 
The  former,  even  in  the  most  painfully  selected  body  of  its 
holiest  members,  must  ever  disclose  much  human  infirmity  ; 
how  were  it  otherwise  militant?  Fallen  man,  however  re- 
generated, can  never  exemplify,  in  this  life,  a  perfect  model 
of  a  son  of  God  ;  he  is  ever  attaining,  but  never  having  at- 
tained; how  then  shall  a  body  be  perfect,  each  of  whose 
members  is  imperfect  1  The  signs,  therefore,  exhibited  by  a 
perseverance  in  the  struggle  to  attain,  are  they  which  mark 
tlie  true  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  assure  its  ex- 
istence among  us.  And  if  such  seem  so  very  rare,  it  is  partly 
owing  to  the  sort  of  company  by  which  the  objector  is  likely 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  39 

to  be  surrounded,  and  partly  also  to  the  very  unobtrusiveness 
of  ^ood  men.  The  straws  and  the  feathers  keep  the  surface 
of  the  water,  the  pearls  and  gems  are  in  the  depths  below ; 
the  vices  and  crimes  of  the  children  of  this  w^orld  attract  the 
eyes  and  fill  the  mouth  of  the  world ;  holiness  is  theirs  who 
are  not  of  this  world,  and  are,  therefore,  overlooked  by  it,  and 
unrecorded.  But  supposing  the  number  of  those  who  exhibit 
the  required  signs  to  be  less  than  it  really  is,  what  scandal 
and  stone  of  offence  would  this  be  to  him  who  has  been  told 
from  the  mouth  of  the  great  Head  himself,  that  his  real 
Church  upon  earth  shall  ever  be  a  remnant  until  the  fulness 
of  the  time  come  ;  that  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen  ; 
who  feels  assured  that,  wherever  two  or  three  are  met  to  join 
their  spirits  in  his  name,  there  his  true  Church  is  brightly  visi- 
ble, there  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  as  in  his  temple,  is  shining, 
and  never  shall  be  done  away. 

But  however  full  of  offence  the  appearance  presented  by 
God's  church  upon  earth  may  be  to  the  fool,  it  is  overflowing 
with  instruction  to  the  wise.  It  humbles  him  indeed,  but  it 
is  in  order  to  exalt  him ;  it  warns  him,  but  in  the  same  mo- 
ment it  cheers  him.  For  he  there  sees  the  body  of  his  own 
infirmities  most  painfully  reflected  and  multiplied,  as  through 
glass,  into  innumerable  images.  He  is  led  from  this  view 
to  examine  with  a  more  severe  probe,  and  with  a  more  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  human  failings,  his  own  bosom ;  he  de- 
tects there  weaknesses  and  elements  of  weaknesses  of  which 
he  was  formerly  unsuspicious.  He  traces  a  connexion  be- 
tween his  own  failings  and  the  disgrace  of  that  society  which 
ought  to  be  holy,  even  as  its  head  is  holy.  Therefore  he 
will  more  than  ever  deplore  his  own  sinfulness,  which  has 
contributed  its  share  to  the  general  shame ;  he  will  mourn  that 
the  spirit  of  men  should  thus  be  ever  at  war  with  the  spirit  of 
God,  and  will  humble  himself  even  to  the  dust.  But,  at  the 
same  time,  in  a  consciousness  of  spiritual  improvement, 
through  God's  grace,  he  will  see  its  honour  and  glory ;  there 
is  holiness  in  it ;  and  every  step  which  he  makes  in  advance 
supplies  him  with  a  joyful  earnest  of  those  blessed  days, 
when,  like  a  faithful  spouse  of  Christ,  the  Church  shall  put 
on  her  crown  of  pure  gold,  and  stand  in  her  white  raiment  all 
glorious,  without  spot  or  wrinkle.  At  every  point  of  pro- 
gress he  has  a  joyful  earnest,  assuring  him  that  God's  pro- 
mises are  accomplishing,  though  not  yet  accomplished  ;  that 
the  serpent's  head  hath  been  bruised  individually  and  poten- 


40  ON  THE  ORIGIN  xVND  CONSTITUTION  OF 

tially,  though  not  generally  and  actually :  that  the  desire  of 
nations  hath  been  offered  to  all,  although  not  received  by  all : 
the  conqueror  of  sin  and  death  has  been  set  upon  his  throne, 
although  all  his  enemies  be  not  as  yet  put  underneath  his 
footstool.  Thus  with  his  growth  in  spirit  grows  also  in  his 
mind  the  beauty  of  the  holiness  of  the  Church  of  God,  and 
however  at  variance  be  its  model  as  presented  to  his  eye  of 
spirit,  with  the  form  which  meets  his  eye  of  flesh;  however 
squalid  may  appear  the  one  after  the  glorious  brightness  of 
the  other,  he  is  neither  offended,  nor  does  he  despair.  He 
has  a  witness  within  him  which  bids  him  look  onward  in  pa- 
tience and  unshaken  faith  to  the  end ;  he  feels  in  his  bosom 
the  elements  of  the  bliss  which  shall  accompany  the  final 
union  of  the  two,  and  they  shall  once  again  be  blended,  never 
by  a  second  fall  to  be  rent  asunder.  For  then  shall  the  reign 
of  Satan  have  been  accomplished,  then  shall  his  deceits  and 
wiles  have  been  overcome,  then  shall  the  partition-wall  of 
sin  and  delusion  be  broken  down,  and  all  hearts  shall  be  open, 
all  desires  known.  Then  all  the  children  of  God  being  of 
one  mind,  possessed  with  one  and  the  same  spirit,  united  in 
every  thought  and  turn  of  thought,  filled  with  the  love  of  the 
Father,  abounding  in  the  grace  of  the  Son,  and  enjoying  the 
fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  shall  form  the  congregation 
of  the  first-born,  of  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  the 
city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  the  company 
of  innumerable  angels. 

Brethren,  we  may  say  with  the  beloved  apostle,  "  it  is  the 
last  time;"  perils  and  trials  are  at  hand,  and  the  arm  of  the 
heaven-commissioned  thresher  seems  already  uplifted,  in 
order  to  descend  with  a  blow^  which  shall  separate  the  chaff 
and  the  wheat.  But  no  gloominess  of  times,  no  overflow- 
ings of  ungodliness  dismay  us ;  rather  more  abundant  be  our 
hope,  more  unshaken  our  faith,  for  the  time  of  our  redemption 
draweth  nigh.  God's  chastisement  must  try  his  children, 
and  usher  in  the  joyfulness  of  the  inheritance  which  shall  be 
theirs  who  abide  the  trial ;  therefore  let  us  cast  aside  all  mis- 
giving, attach  ourselves  to  all  w^ell-doing,  and,  above  all, 
exercise  that  charity,  which,  in  trying  times,  is  so  grievously 
wounded.  For  in  proportion  as,  under  the  influence  of  God's 
holy  Spirit,  we  can  agree  with  our  neighbour  in  thought, 
word,  and  deed,  in  the  same  do  we  realize  upon  earth  tbe 
Church  of  God  ;  in  the  same  do  we  approach  to  the  blissful- 
ness  of  his  Church  in  heaven;  in  the  same  do  we  grow  up 


THE    CHURCH   OF   GOD.  41 

to  the  standard  of  fellow-citizens  of  the  saints,  of  members 
of  the  household  of  God.  All  this  worketh  that  faith  which 
we  found  on  the  merits  of  our  Redeemer ;  that  hope  of  ever- 
lasting life  which  we  cherish  in  him  who  rose  from  the  dead ; 
and  that  charity  with  which  we  love  one  another,  because  he 
first  loved  us.  Such  faith,  such  hope,  such  charity,  may  he 
give  unto  us,  and  maintain  in  us  by  his  Spirit,  that  we  may 
be  all  one  in  Christ,  who  is  one  with  the  Father. 


E 


43 


DISSERTATION  III. 


ON  PROPHECY. 


/  wait  for  the  Lord,  my  soul  cloth  wait,  atid  in  his  word  do  I 
hope. — Psalm  cxxx.  5. 

The  Word  of  God  is  not  like  the  word  of  man,  and  for  esti- 
mating the  former  we  shall  obtain  but  little  aid  from  any 
consideration  of  the  latter.  They  both  communicate  certain 
ideas  to  men,  and  there  ends  their  similitude ;  in  all  other 
respects  our  estimate  would  be  more  safely  formed  according 
to  the  rule  of  contraries.  For  as  this  latter  goes  forth  too 
often  without  sense  or  design,  or  at  best,  and  however  pre- 
meditated, to  a  temporary  purpose,  that  proceeds  from  God's 
eternal  immutable  counsel,  and  passes  on  to  eternity.  This 
is  essentially  extinct  from  the  moment  in  which  it  has  been 
uttered,  and  when  we  say  it  lives,  (as  in  the  memory  of  man,) 
we  are  fully  aware  that  we  are  using  a  figure  which  is  lite- 
rally inapplicable.  All  it  can  do  is,  like  some  worthless 
insects,  to  give  birth  to  a  fact,  and  then  die  as  it  were  in  the 
labour.  But  the  word  of  God  liveth  for  ever:  it  w^aits  for  no 
agent,  and  the  fact  to  which  it  gives  birth  depends  upon  it, 
and  upon  it  alone,  for  the  continuance  of  the  principle  of  life  : 
by  it  were  the  worlds  created,  and  by  it  they  are  sustained  ; 
by  it  empires  rise  and  fall  in  their  appointed  seasons  ;  in  it 
all  which  goes  before  is  comprehended,  and  held  in  union 
with  all  which  goes  after,  and  eternity  is  connected  with 
eternity.  The  word  of  man  taken  into  the  heart  will  too 
often  defile  and  overcloud  the  soul ;  the  word  of  God  received 
there  is  the  only  principle  of  holiness,  and  is  a  lantern  to  the 
feet.  The  word  of  man  is  often  bitter ;  the  word  of  God  is 
sweet  to  the  taste,  ye",  sweeter  than  honey  to  the  mouth. 
The  word  of  man  is  too  often  weak,  powerless,  blunt,  and 
unpointed,  unable  to  penetrate  beyond  the  ear,  and  reach  the 


ON   PROPHECY.  '  43 

mind.  But  the  word  of  God  is  quick  and  powerful,  and 
sharper  than  any  two-edg-ed  sword,  piercing  even  to  the 
dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  of  the  joints  and  marrow, 
and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart. 
The  word  of  man  is  too  often,  as  proceeding  from  an  unholy 
bosom,  faithless ;  and  as  coming  from  one  who  has  no 
power  over  fortune,  never  sure.  But  the  word  of  God  is 
true,  and  sure  altogether.  Therefore  it  is,  as  the  Psalmist  says, 
the  cause  of  certain  hope  to  every  mind  in  which  it  is  received. 

The  Word  of  God,  thus  eternal,  steadfast,  holy,  powerful, 
issued  forth  ever  to  the  same  merciful  end  of  man's  redemp- 
tion, may  be  considered  as  having  a  two-fold  operation  on 
his  mind.  It  will  either  hold  forward  continually  to  view 
the  glorious  end  of  that  redemption,  referring  him  by  the 
way,  as  time  proceeds,  to  certain  intermediate  events  to  come 
at  certain  destined  periods  as  its  harbingers,  and  thus  main- 
taining in  him  a  sure  and  certain  hope  in  the  end,  and  by 
what  has  been  fulfilled,  giving  a  pledge  of  that  which 
remains  to  be  fulfilled  :  or  it  will  give  him  instructions  how 
to  conduct  himself,  so  that  he  might  be  a  partaker  in  the 
blessedness  of  that  end,  exalting  his  thoughts,  chastening  his 
affections,  and  directing  his  understanding ;  thus  it  wnll  be 
either  prophetical  or  doctrinal.  It  is  intended  to  discuss  it 
now  under  the  first  of  these  two  heads. 

The  Word  of  God,  as  far  as  the  Church  which  we  are 
considering  is  immediately  concerned,  first  came  to  Adam 
upon  his  fall ;  and  it  could  come  to  him  but  for  two  ends, 
namely,  either  to  finally  pronounce  upon  him  the  sentence  of 
death,  with  which  he  had  been  previously  threatened,  or  to 
modify  that  sentence  according  to  God's  good  pleasure. 
The  first  is  plainly  implied  in  the  words  "  dust  thou  art,  and 
unto  dust  thou  shalt  return."  But  the  death  expected  by 
Adam  must  have  been  eternal  death,  and  this  admits  of  a 
modification  by  being  changed  into  temporary;  this  latter 
being  actually  the  case,  the  only  passage  in  which  we  have  to 
seek  it  is  in  that  promise,  "  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  should 
bruise  the  serpent's  head ;"  which,  though  addressed  to  the 
serpent,  j-^et,  as  being  solemnly  recorded  in  God's  written 
word,  we  cannot  but  regard  as  a  promise  made  to  all  man- 
kind in  the  presence  of  Adam.  Considering  the  solemn 
occasion  on  which  it  was  made,  when  the  head  of  all  man- 
kind, the  chief  and  representative  of  millions  of  living  souls, 
was  standing  arraigned  for  judgment  upon  himself  and  his  pos- 


44  ON  PROPHECY. 

terity,  when  he  was  tortured  with  agonies  of  giiilt  and  despair, 
which  w  ere  not  only  new  to  him,  not  only  in  deepest  contrast 
to  his  former  innocence  and  hliss,  hut  also  must  have  for 
these  reasons  far  exceeded  any  pangs  undergone  hy  the  most 
wretched  of  his  posterity, — surely  it  is  impossible  to  under- 
stand its  expressions  literally;  surely  thus  they  would  be 
unworthy  of  the  occasion,  and  appear  to  Adam  a  cruel  banter, 
a  mockery  of  his  depth  of  woe.     We  are  driven  therefore  to  a 
spiritual  sense,  and  in  this  we  shall  find  the  modification  sought. 
Before  the  foundation  of  the  world  Jesus  Christ  was  fore- 
ordained for  the  salvation  of  man.     Every  thing,  therefore, 
communicated   by   God   to   man,    must   terminate   in   him. 
Can  we  imagine  then  that  the  very  first  intervention  of  God 
with  man,  after  he  fell  into  the  need  of  salvation,  and  at  a 
moment  when  beyond  any  other  he  must  have  felt  that  need,  at 
a  moment  when  beyond  any  other  he  must  have  given  himself 
up  to  utter  recklessness  of  despair,  that  this  should  have 
passed  oflf  without  a  hint  of  so  great  consolation,  and  that  he, 
the  head  of  mankind,  should  be  deprived  of  that  comfort 
which  has  been  so  freely  imparted  to  his  posterity  1     Without 
some  communication  of  this  kind,  how  could  religion  either 
have  begun  or  maintained  itself  upon  earth ;  what  reason 
would  God  have  to  complain  of  the  wickedness  of  man  at 
the  time  of  the  flood,  and  how  could  such  characters  as  Abel, 
Enoch,  and  Noah  have  ever  existed]     Surely  God's  signal 
vengeance  on  that  occasion  argues  the  abuse  of  something 
imparted  since  the  fall ;  and  the  existence  of  such  characters 
argues  the  use  of  something  communicated  since  that  hour  of 
hopelessness.      Why,   too,    should    God    have  maintained 
Adam  a  single  moment  upon  earth  after  the  pronouncing  of 
his  sentence,  if  there  were  nothing  further  1     He  could  have 
had  no  delight  in  the  inefiable  misery  of  his  creature  pro- 
longed for  such  a  period !     We  cannot,  therefore,  suppose 
Adam  to  have  been  left  without  that  consolation,  which  we 
ourselves,  who  have  never  experienced  the  horrid  conscious- 
ness of  the  contrast  of  our  state  with  perfect  innocence  and 
bliss,  yet  find  absolutely  necessary  to  our  patient  endurance 
of  existence.       Neither   can  we  suppose    so    important   a 
communication  on  so  important  an  occasion,  to  have  been 
omitted  by  Holy  Writ.     If  the  sentence  has  been  recorded 
by  which  we  were  all,  in  our  general  head  and  representative, 
condemned  to  death,  surely  it  would  not  neglect  to  notice  the 
promise  by  which,  in  the  same  general  head  and  representa- 


ON   PROPHECY.  45 

live,  we  were  all  restored  to  life.  But  if  it  be  not  implied  in 
this  passag-e,  it  is  nowhere.  It  must  be,  therefore,  implied 
in  this  passage. 

The  sense,  therefore,  in  which  Adam  understood  it,  would 
be  this — that  one  should  hereafter  arise  from  his  seed,  who 
should  triumph  over  the  power  of  Satan,  to  which  he  himself 
had  yielded :  that  he  was  himself,  with  all  his  posterity,  to 
share  the  fruits  of  this  victory  (otherwise  what  consolation 
had  it  been  1) — and  as  his  own  defeat  wrought  his  fall,  so  the 
triumph  of  that  promised  one  would  correspondingly  work 
his  restoration  1 

That  such  a  sense  but  obscurely  glimmers  through  the  ex- 
press words  to  our  mental  sight,  needs  form  no  great  diffi- 
culty, if  we  will  only  consider  the  peculiar  circumstances  of 
Adam.  The  great  obscurity  to  us  lies  in  the  personification 
of  the  evil  spirit  by  the  serpent.  Here  it  is  easy  to  conceive 
that  he  would  have  no  difficulty,  so  differently  circumstanced 
was  he  who  had  gone  through  the  wiiole  transaction  as  a 
chief  actor  in  it,  from  us  to  whom  so  brief  an  account  has 
come  after  many  ages.  But  besides  that  he  was  furnished 
with  all  the  illustrating  facts, — I  should  rather  say  was  most 
deeply  impressed  v/ith  them  in  heart  and  understanding,  so 
that  he  could  not  but  readily  apply  the  words  of  the  pro- 
phecy,— his  attention  had  never  been  distracted,  and  its  powers 
weakened,  as  ours  have  been,  by  such  variety  of  Incidents. 
This  was  the  first  event,  as  it  were,  in  his  life ;  he  could 
have  had  no  previous  change  or  degree  of  bliss  or  woe  to  call 
his  attention ;  all  its  powers,  therefore,  were  concentrated 
upon  this  fact,  to  a  degree  much  exceeding  what  we  can  be- 
stow upon  one  of  the  most  vital  interest.  Nothing  can  befall 
us  so  important  as  to  affect  us  to  a  degree  approaching  to 
what  he  felt ;  and  even  our  greatest  calamities  find  us  already 
tolerably  broken  in,  and  prepared  to  support  them.  Besides, 
his  clearness  of  understanding  (wreck  as  it  was  of  perfection) 
must  unquestionably  have  been  superior  to  that  of  ours,  which 
have  never  known  the  uncloudedness  of  innocence,  but  are 
clogged  with  the  grossness  of  long-transmitted  guilt;  and 
therefore,  supposing  even  all  things  else  the  same,  what  is 
•obscure  to  us  might  have  brought  no  perplexity  to  him. 
Again,  while  he  was  at  that  moment  in  circumstances  which 
would  give  their  peculiar  point  to  the  words  uttered  to  him, 
his  despair,  felt  for  the  first  time,  and  intense  far  beyond  any 
with  which  we  can  be  affected,  would  be  more  alive  to  dis- 
E  2 


46  ON  PROPHECY. 

cern  the  first  glimmering  of  hope.  If  we  have  seen  it,  in 
our  experience,  so  quick  in  catching  the  first  ray  of  comfort, 
and  in  gathering  a  warmth  from  a  light  so  feeble  as  to  be  quite 
indiscernible  to  others  less  concerned,  what  may  we  imagine 
to  have  been  his  quickness  of  apprehension,  his  eagerness  of 
grasp  ]  Can  we  then,  in  fine,  wonder  that  the  most  spiritual 
man,  the  wisest  man,  the  most  unhappy  man,  placed  in  cir- 
cumstances into  which,  with  the  liveliest  picturing  of  our 
imagination,  we  can  scarcely  gain  an  insight,  surrounded  by 
relations  into  which,  with  all  our  vigour  of  understanding,  we 
can  barely  penetrate, — that  he  should  have  discerned  a  mean- 
ing where  we  are  baulked  with  perplexity  ] 

There  intervenes  no  other  prophecy  between  this  and  the 
promise  made  to  Abraham  "  that  in  his  seed  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  should  be  blessed."  This  therefore  sufiiced  for 
the  consolation  of  the  Patriarchal  church.  Nor  was  it,  if  we 
consider  the  circumstances,  insufficient  to  that  end.  For  the 
life  of  Adam  himself  was  extended  through  nearly  one-half 
of  the  duration  of  this  church  down  to  Abraham,  and  the  life 
of  Noah  alone  fills  uj)  to  within  one  hundred  and  thirty  years 
the  interval  between  his  death  and  Abraham's  birth.  Thus 
the  prophecy  came  down  to  the  last  faithful  member  of  that 
church  with  little  diminution  either  of  its  interest  or  clear- 
ness. But  circumstances  are  very  much  changed  when  we 
come  to  the  Jewish  period ;  not  only  are  we  come  to  the 
short  duration  of  man's  life,  which  has  remained  ever  since, 
and  therefore  made  tradition  a  much  more  precarious  channel 
of  knowledge,  but  by  this  time  the  church  is  confined  to  a 
narrow  portion  of  earth ;  therefore  man  would  require  as- 
surance against  the  many  untoward  chances  to  which  it 
was  thus  exposed.  The  promise  of  the  Redeemer  was 
limited  not  only  to  a  nation,  but  progressively  to  a  single 
family  of  that  nation  :  hence  the  stability  of  the  nation  and 
of  the  family  must  be  assured.  On  these  accounts  prophecy 
would  both  be  more  frequent  and  also  more  particular. 

With  regard  to  frequency,  it  is  singular  that  down  from 
Moses  to  Ezra  there  passes  by  not  a  single  generation  with- 
out the  accomplishment  of  some  prophecy  delivered  by  Moses 
and  his  successors.  So  completely  did  God  provide  for 
keeping  up  a  faith  in  his  promises,  and  exhort  them  to  look 
to  the  end  in  steadfast  hope. 

On  the  ground  of  particularity,  we  are  here  presented  with 
a  new  feature ;  not  only  is  the  great  end  of  all  more  plainly 


ON   PROPHECY.  47 

discovered,  but  a  train  of  events  leading  on  to  it  is  foretold, 
and  prophecy  thus  takes  into  account  a  large  mass  of  things 
temporal ;  by  this  connexion  the  end  becomes  palpable,  as  it 
were :  it  is  no  longer  the  mere  promise  which  it  was  before, 
for  each  of  the  above  events  forms  a  substantial  earnest  of  its 
performance.  The  Jew  can  keep  it  steadily  in  sight,  knowing 
its  exact  direction,  and  as  he  proceeds,  being  able  to  estimate 
its  very  distance,  guided  on  as  he  is  by  a  spangled  line  of  stars 
of  glorious  lustre,  and  of  unchangeable  positions,  the  fates 
of  kingdoms  and  empires  of  this  world,  of  Nineveh,  of  Tyre, 
of  Babylon,  of  Damascus,  earthly  as  they  are,  become  to  him 
spiritual  beacons,  and  fall,  as  it  were,  into  that  numerous 
class  of  bodily  types  by  which  the  eyes  of  this  babe  were 
allured  on  to  spiritual  realities.  This  series  of  prophecies, 
varying  of  course  in  circumstances  as  the  end  drew  nearer, 
may  be  divided  into  three  stages. 

The  first,  extending  from  Moses  to  David,  has  a  peculiar 
character  from  prophecy,  being  mostly  applied  to  facts  iso- 
lated and  at  no  great  distance,  as  Nathan's  with  regard  to 
Absalom's  revolt;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  God's  special 
intervention  is  very  far  more  frequently  and  signally  called 
forth  in  this  stage  than  in  the  following.  All  this  we  may 
expect  from  the  circumstances  of  the  period,  in  which  the 
nation  had  not  obtained  a  complete  settlement  in  the  land 
until  the  end.  It  required,  therefore,  amidst  its  tumultuous 
and  unsteady  fortunes,  continued  and  particular  assurances  of 
God's  help  and  protection. 

The  next  period  reaches  to  the  captivity ;  and  in  this  pro- 
phecy takes  both  a  longer  and  wider  range,  and  for  the  most 
part  goes  on  directly  towards  the  end.  In  this  we  have  the 
denunciations  against  Babylon  and  Tyre,  and  in  this  the  king- 
dom of  Messiah  is  painted  in  glowing  colours,  and  brought 
so  near  to  the  eye  that  even  the  most  dull  and  desponding 
must  take  heart  at  the  sight :  meanwhile  God's  special  inter- 
vention is  rare  and  at  long  intervals.  All  this  is  in  accordance 
with  the  circumstances  of  the  period :  the  nation  had  been 
completely  established  in  the  land,  and  therefore  a  vast  ac- 
cession of  confidence  had  accrued  to  God's  promises ;  he  had 
given  such  an  earnest  that  there  could  be  no  excuse  for  doubt ; 
the  nation,  too,  as  now  settled,  had  leisure  to  look  to  the  end ; 
and  to  that  end,  as  the  monarchy  declined  and  evil  times 
came  on,  they  would  gaze  more  and  more  intently;  and  from 
the  blessed  end  God's  word  was  removing  all  the  apparently 


48  ON   PROPHECY. 

insuperable  obstacles  intervening ;  the  fall  of  their  enemies 
was  pronounced,  and  if  their  captivity  drew  near,  not  to  the 
eye  of  the  prophet  only,  but  of  the  common  man,  yet  the  song 
of  man's  deliverance  pierced  beyond  the  gloom,  and  assured 
the  end  in  despite  of  the  thick  veil  of  sorrow  which  intervened. 

The  third  period,  if  we  except  the  deliverance  of  the  pro- 
phet Daniel  and  his  companions,  exhibited  before  a  foreign 
people,  is  destitute  of  God's  special  intervention.  But  pro- 
phecy assumes  a  more  decisive  tone,  and  her  song  grows 
much  more  comprehensive;  the  nation  was  now  either  in 
captivity,  or  in  all  the  feebleness  of  its  restoration ;  but  at 
the  same  time  the  great  end  was  coming  fast  into  sight ;  the 
interval  then  was  spread  over  by  a  golden  network,  as  it 
were,  of  prophecy,  visibly  connecting  the  present  and  future. 
We  now  meet,  for  the  first  time,  with  a  train  of  prophecy ; 
that  is,  with  a  period  of  time  foretold,  with  all  its  divisions, 
by  critical  events  pointed  out,  and  the  whole  and  its  parts 
adjusted  to  chronological  dates ;  thus  the  very  year  of  the 
Messiah's  coming  was  pointed  out,  his  character  still  more 
clearly  marked,  and  the  last  strain  of  prophecy  which  re- 
sounded in  the  Jewish  church  rose  with  an  impetuous  bound, 
so  as  far  to  overleap  its  previous  limits,  and  to  alight  amid 
the  glories  and  the  wonders  of  the  Christian  church. 

The  Christian  period  opens  with  the  accomplishment  of 
the  original  promise,  which  was  the  key  note  to  all  others ; 
a  Redeemer  has  actually  arisen  from  the  seed  of  Adam,  of 
Abraham,  of  Judah,  of  David.  As  far  as  they  looked  for, 
the  end  of  the  world  is  come.  But  to  us  the  world  begins 
anew^  as  with  a  second  Adam ;  and  through  this  second 
Adam  we  have  a  fresh  promise  given,  that  his  Church  shall 
remain  upon  earth  until  his  second  coming  again  to  put  the 
final  consummation  to  all  things.  Here,  then,  as  in  the  two 
previous  dispensations,  we  have  an  original  promise  to  be 
carried  on  by  prophecy,  and  the  whole  interval  may  be  divided 
into  two  periods. 

The  first  contains  that  short  but  momentous  time  when  the 
church,  as  in  the  first  period  of  the  Jewish,  was  wandering, 
as  it  were,  in  the  desert,  and  had  obtained  no  settlement  in 
the  land  ;  when  it  was  yet  but  appearing  in  bright  sprinkles 
here  and  there,  like  dew  upon  the  thirsty  sands  of  the  Hea- 
then world.  The  first  promise  had  been  made  through  the 
first  Adam,  in  a  season  of  extreme  sorrow  and  humiliation  ; 
and,  in  a  similar  season  was  made  the  second  promise,  through 


ON    PROPHECY.  49 

the  second  Adam.  This  period,  then,  like  the  corresponding 
Jewish,  is  full  of  God's  special  intervention  by  signs  and 
wonders,  full  also  of  prophecy.  But  prophecy  is  not  con- 
tinued beyond  it ;  the  last  strain  comes  from  the  last  surviving 
apostle ;  hence  the  prophecy  of  this  period  is  not  only  par- 
ticular and  applying  to  events  close  at  hand,  as  that  of  Aga- 
bus,  but  also  runs  on  in  a  train  so  as  to  reach  to  the  end  of 
all,  as  in  the  prophecy  of  the  1260  years;  so  that  this  period 
answers  to  the  three  first  of  the  Jewish.  In  the  second 
period,  God's  special  intervention  has  ceased,  prophecy  is 
silent.  The  church  was  now  firmly  settled ;  a  store  of  pro- 
phecy had  already  been  laid  in,  a  vast  store  had  also  been 
accomplished  by  the  time  of  the  final  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem: every  thing,  therefore,  was  assured.  There  was  no  need 
then  of  a  line  of  prophets ;  this  period,  therefore,  resembles 
that  which  ensues  after  the  third  Jewish,  only  the  certainty 
which  renders  a  line  of  prophets  needless,  rests  on  different 
grounds.  The  end  is  as  far  off  as  in  the  first  Jewish  pe- 
riod. But  then  he  in  whom  all  previous  prophecy  has  fyund 
its  fulfilment,  and  who,  therefore,  gives  us  the  surest  pledge 
possible,  he  has  given  us  a  prophecy  both  of  himself  im- 
mediately, and  a  long  train  of  prophecy  through  his  be- 
loved apostle  mediately.  Nothing,  therefore,  in  the  church 
calls  for  further  messages  from  God.  But  as  long  as  she  is 
supplied  with  a  succession  of  faithful  men,  fit  conservators 
and  interpreters  of  the  deposit  already  made,  (and  such  he 
assures  us  that  there  shall  ever  be,)  so  long  has  the  church 
all  the  substantial  benefits  of  a  line  of  prophets. 

Such  is  prophecy  relative  to  mankind  in  the  general.  We 
now  come  to  consider  its  effects  upon  man  individually. 
These  may  be  considered  as  three-fold.  Man  will  be  com- 
forted, will  be  warned,  and  will  be  proved  by  prophecy. 

The  two  first  effects  are  co-ordinate,  beginning  together 
from  the  first,  and  ever  after  associated.  Sentence  of  death 
was  pronounced  on  our  first  parents,  in  that  same  intervention 
of  God  in  which  he  promised  their  final  restoration.  And 
we  have  all  inherited  the  one  together  with  the  other.  Every 
individual  since  that  moment,  however  spiritually  regenerated, 
may  be  considered  under  a  two-fold  view.  With  regard  to 
the  remaining  (and,  in  this  our  state,  inevitable)  infirmities 
of  the  flesh,  he  is  the  old  man  condemned  to  death,  with  all 
its  necessary  attendance  of  pain  and  trouble,  bodily  and  men- 
tal.    But  with  regard  to  the  power  of  the  spirit,  he  is  the 


50  ON    PROPHECY. 

new  man,  restored  to  everlasting  life.  In  this  latter  capacity, 
therefore,  apprehending  the  sure  word  of  God,  he  applies  it 
to  soothe  all  the  fears  and  perplexities,  or  to  pull  down  all 
the  presumption,  between  which  his  frail  mortal  nature  may- 
be fluctuating,  according  to  the  aspect  of  the  world  before 
him.  God's  threats  fill  him  with  humiliation  and  awe,  and 
tell  him  that  he  is  dust,  aud  to  dust  shall  return.  They  as- 
sure him  that  he  shall  be  dealt  with  after  his  sins,  and  re- 
warded after  his  iniquities.  The)'^  proclaim  that  the  Lord  is 
jealous,  the  Lord  revengeth,  and  is  furious.  They  bid  him 
seek  righteousness,  seek  meekness,  so  that  it  may  be  that  he 
shall  be  hid  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's  anger.  But  his  com- 
fort binds  up  his  heart,  bruised  and  broken  by  worldly  afl[iic- 
tions,  encourages  him  to  exclaim,  "  Art  thou  not  from  ever- 
lasting, O  Lord  my  God,  mine  Holy  One?  We  shall  not 
die :"  and  promises  that  his  warfare  shall  be  accomplished, 
and  his  iniquity  pardoned.  Accordingly,  every  dispensation, 
beginning  with  that  given  to  Adam,  has  opened  with  a  com- 
bination of  denunciation  and  consolation.  If  in  one  hand  it 
has  held  forth  to  man  the  cup  of  joy  and  salvation,  in  the 
other  it  has  also  presented  the  cup  of  fury  and  of  trembling. 
In  the  very  address  of  Moses,  in  which,  not  long  before  his 
death,  he  concluded  the  covenant  between  God  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  what  a  fearful  mixture  of  threats  with  promi- 
ses !  Their  utter  ruin  is  predicted,  together  with  the  coming 
of  the  expected  Redeemer.  The  harbinger  of  the  Gospel 
proclaimed  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  told 
men,  that  while  God  would  gather  the  wheat  into  his  garner, 
he  would  burn  the  chaff  with  unquenchable  fire.  And  the 
blessed  Preacher  himself,  our  Lord  and  Redeemer,  hath  pro- 
mised tribulation  and  sorrow,  even  to  the  inheritors  of  ever- 
lasting life ;  and  while  from  his  own  mouth,  and  also  from 
the  lips  of  his  beloved  disciple,  he  hath  assured  the  everlast- 
ing endurance  of  the  church,  and  the  victory  of  his  saints,  he 
is  full  of  severe  denunciations  against  particular  churches  and 
individuals,  who  shall  be  guilty  of  disobedience.  And  how 
full  of  warning  have  these  come  down  to  us !  From  their 
ashes,  still  smoking,  those  churches  are  crying  out  to  us  at 
this  day,  telling  of  wrath  and  judgment  to  come ;  and  from  their 
very  graves  individuals  are  raising  a  warning  voice  against 
opportunities  slighted,  gifts  rejected,  and  talents  misapplied. 
In  every  period,  therefore,  of  the  church,  if  adversity  have 
its  comfort,  so  has  prosperity  its  warning. 


ON    PROPHECY.  51 

In  prosperous  times,  men  are  too  apt  to  be  engrossed  with 
the  enjoyments  of  this  life,  and  their  attention  is  too  much 
drawn  away  from  the  bliss  of  the  life  to  come.  But  even 
when  they  address  themselves  to  such  a  consideration,  it  is  in 
such  unison  with  their  cheerful  feelings,  that  very  general 
terms  are  sufficient  to  convey  God's  promise  of  the  future 
happiness.  The  mind,  surrounded  with  images  of  bliss, 
needs  not  a  list  of  particulars  to  strengthen  its  belief  or  hopes. 
All  is  warm  and  full  of  heat,  and  a  few  sparks  are  sufficient 
to  kindle  a  blaze.  Hence,  prophecy  passes  over  such  times, 
with  but  just  so  much  addition  of  particulars  as  shall  suffice 
to  carry  it  on  in  due  and  gradual  expansion.  But  in  disas- 
trous times,  men's  minds  are  unstrung,  their  hearts  are  cold, 
their  understandings  are  darkened  with  doubt  and  perplexity, 
their  affections  are  overcome  with  terror  and  apprehension. 
General  terms  of  comfort  will  not  now  suffice ;  men  cannot 
hold  and  cling  to  them :  they  now  w^ant  particulars ;  they 
want  detailed  circumstances,  which  they  may  oppose  to  the 
detail  of  misery  Avhich  surrounds  them  whithersoever  they 
turn  the  eye  of  flesh.  They  want  to  contrast  a  deliverer  w4th 
a  subjugator;  an  everlasting  kingdom,  with  a  falling  empire; 
partners  in  light  and  bliss,  with  companions  in  pain  and  woe; 
unlimited  happiness,  with  dreary  prolongation  of  misery ;  a 
time  appointed,  and  resting-place  for  the  sole  of  their  feet, 
with  the  wretched  uncertainty  by  which  they  are  distracted  ; 
characters  of  goodness  and  mercy,  with  those  of  cruelty  and 
vice,  by  which  they  are  oppressed.  They,  in  short,  want  a 
bright  side  to  each  of  the  appalling  objects  around ;  they 
wish  each  dark  and  threatening  cloud  to  be  at  least  edged 
with  light,  in  order  that  they  may  be  convinced  that  the  sun 
still  exists,  and  that  day  shall  return  on  the  morrow,  if  not 
to-day;  they  wish  to  behold  angels  of  light  combating  against 
each  of  those  foul  fiends  which  disturb  their  peace.  There- 
fore it  was  that,  as  the  times  grew  darker  to  the  Jewish 
Church,  prophecy  grew  more  particular,  until  in  the  end, 
amid  all  the  fearful  signs  of  approaching  downfall,  amid  the 
abomination  of  desolation,  amid  the  abandonment  of  God's 
visible  presence  among  them,  declared  by  the  blazing  temple, 
amid  the  humiliation  and  despair  of  the  captivity  of  princes 
and  people,  amid  the  pitiable  feebleness  and  helplessness  of 
their  restoration,  amid  all  the  horrid  discordant  sounds  attend- 
ing this  sad  procession  of  events,  was  heard  an  uninterrupted 
strain  of  the.  song  of  prophecy,  which  would  not  be  put  to 


52  ON   PROPHECY. 

silence,  but  waxing  louder  and  louder,  like  the  trumpet  of 
God,  rose  higher  and  higher,  with  thrilling  and  heart-stirring 
notes,  above  the  deafening  din  of  temporal  calamity.  It  was, 
likewise,  from  his  prison,  amid  the  weakness  and  persecution 
of  the  infant  church,  that  the  beloved  disciple  of  the  Lord 
sang  forth,  expanding  into  all  its  particularities  his  general 
promise,  that  his  church  should  not  fail,  and  announcing  all 
the  glorious  facts  of  its  victories  and  triumphs. 

In  both  prosperous  and  disastrous  times,  men  require  to 
be  warned ;  for  in  both  they  are  naturally  reckless.  In  the 
one  they  cry  out,  "  Soul,  thou  hast  many  goods  laid  up  for 
many  years :  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry." 
(Luke,  xii.  19.)  In  the  other  they  say,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink, 
for  to-morrow  we  die."  It  were  needless  to  instance  the 
solemn  warnings  given  to  the  sons  of  Israel,  and  which  we 
may  consider  as  addressed  to  ourselves  also,  under  similar 
circumstances,  with,  however,  this  additional  weight,  that 
having  been  verified  once,  they  are  of  all  things  most  certain 
to  take  place  again,  wherever  their  application  is  called  for. 
These,  therefore,  are  our  warning  prophets  too;  and  our 
preachers  delivering  forth  their  solemn  admonitions,  ex- 
pounding to  us  their  awful  fulfilment,  and  applying  them  to 
our  own  times  and  circumstances,  public  or  private,  are  an 
unfailing  body  of  prophets,  to  whom,  if  we  listen  not,  neither 
will  we,  though  one  of  the  prophets  of  old  rose  from  the 
dead.  And  not  only  have  we  these  among  ourselves,  but 
there  hath  visited  us  a  preacher  such  as  never  preached  to  a 
reckless  world  before,  on  repentance  and  judgment  to  come, 
since  the  days  of  Noah ;  a  preacher  who  bears  the  signs  of 
his  commission  stamped  upon  the  man,  both  in  body  and  in 
mind ;  a  preacher  who,  like  Adam,  can  speak  from  experience 
of  the  sorrows  of  ruin  and  degradation ;  a  preacher  who  has  been 
preaching  ever  since  the  Church  of  Christ  upon  earth  began, 
and  shall  preach  until  the  end  draw  nigh.  What  1  Is  there 
indeed  a  corner  of  Christendom  unpenetrated  by  that  myste- 
rious stranger,  who,  bearing  in  his  peculiar  features  the 
lineaments  of  Abraham,  and  thus  at  a  glance  announcing  to 
us  from  what  high  estate  he  hath  fallen ;  cherishing  in  his 
spirit  all  the  sullen  pride  of  ruined  ^eatness  ;  exhibiting  in 
his  dealings  all  the  caution  and  timidity  of  the  despised 
stranger ;  attracting,  by  his  attachment  to  the  carnalities  of 
his  abrogated  law,  continued  mockery  and  derision ;  moving, 
by  his  superstition,  his  obstinacy,  and  his  blindness,  the  pity 


ON   PROPHECY.  53 

of  some,  the  contempt  of  others,  the  neglect  of  all ;  deprived 
even  of  the  only  ordained  assurance  of  pardon  by  being 
denied  all  means  of  sacrifice ;  and  holding  in  his  hand  the 
word  of  God,  without  a  spirit  to  understand  it ; — is  there, 
indeed,  any  church  in  Christendom,  before  which  the  Jew, 
this  awful  monitor,  has  never  appeared  ?  Oh !  his  prophetical 
character  seems  to  cling  to  him  still ;  every  where  he  appears 
as  God's  herald  to  warn  against  disobedience,  to  proclaim 
his  judgments ;  and  wherever  he  appears,  there  should  be, 
as  in  the  presence  of  the  prophets  of  old,  humiliation  and 
awe.  Thus  doth  this  preacher,  traversing  daily  Christ's 
kingdom,  unceasingly  admonish  churches  and  individuals; 
and,  standing  in  our  luxurious  cities,  should  be  to  us  as  Jonah 
amid  Nineveh,  summoning  us  to  repentance  and  mourning. 

The  word  of  God,  once  gone  forth,  never  returns  to  him 
void  ;  it  abides  for  ever  among  us,  and  generation  after  gene- 
ration finds  it  still  stronger  from  past  fulfilment,  and  still 
widening  in  extent  of  application.  Were  the  threats  thrown 
out  against  Ephesus,  Laodicea,  and  the  rest  of  their  company, 
accomplished  in  them  alone  1  have  they  found  no  object  since  1 
has  their  fiery  indignation  found  no  fuel,  and  become  extinct  ? 
Where  then  is  Edessa,  where  is  Alexandria,  where  is  Car- 
thage, those  bright  and  burning  lights  of  Christendom  in 
their  day  1  Where  are  they  indeed  !  It  would  be  more  easy 
to  discover  the  ruins  of  Carthage,  than  to  detect  a  fragment 
of  her  church.  And  have  these  threats  terminated  here,  or 
are  they  not  rather  confronting  the  churches  of  this  day, 
ready  to  hunt  down  as  noble  game  as  before  1  Are  they  not 
prophecies  more  awful  than  ever,  more  sure  from  fulfilment, 
more  terribly  significant  from  the  melancholy  detail  by  which 
they  have  already  been  repeatedly  illustrated  and  verified  ? 
Doubly  and  trebly  have  we  been  warned  compared  with  our 
predecessors  ;  shall  we  then  by  an  equal  length  of  resistance 
meet  with  but  an  equal  punishment,  or  not  rather  sufier  in 
proportion  to  our  full  insight  into  the  meaning,  and  our  expe- 
rience of  the  certain  consequences  of  the  neglect  of  the  ad- 
monition ] 

The  proving  of  our  hearts  by  prophecy  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  its  comfort  and  its  warning.  We  shall  show 
our  faith,  and  manifest  our  obedience  according  as  we  accept 
it,  to  minister  to  our  hopes  and  fears.  If  God's  sure  promise 
t?annot  avail  to  raise  our  fainting  hearts  in  tribulation,  nor  to 
subdue  their  pride,  and  turn  them  unto  him  iu  our  hours  of 
F 


54  ON    PROPHECY. 

prosperity,  we  are  none  of  his :  we  have  been  weighed  and 
found  wanting ;  we  have  been  proved,  and  have  come  out 
dross.  But  there  remains  a  further  proof,  applicable  to  us  at 
all  times,  and  not  the  less  sure,  because  we  are  not  aware  at 
the  moment  that  we  are  under  trial ;  not  the  less  searching, 
because  our  hearts  are  open  in  all  their  unsuspiciousness,  and 
we  have  not  time  to  shut  them  before  our  visiter  has  entered, 
and  all  our  secrets  have  been  revealed.  Do  we,  in  our  study 
of  these  oracles  of  God,  keep  in  vicAV  the  prime  object  of 
feeding  a  growing  faith  by  observing  where  they  have  been 
accomplished  ;  of  creating  and  nursing  in  our  hearts  a  cheer- 
ful and  unshaken  confidence  in  his  protection,  an  entire  de- 
votion to  his  majesty,  his  power,  and  his  truth,  so  that  we 
may  be  found  with  our  loins  girded,  and  lights  burning,  in 
the  day  of  his  visitation ;  and  thus  do  we  look  forward  with 
a  godly  hope,  and  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  faithful  crea- 
ture ;  or  do  we  go  to  the  perusal  with  a  vain  curiosity,  with 
that  vulgar  propensity  of  restless  man,  which  sent  him  of  old 
to  the  oracle,  to  the  auspices,  to  the  diviner ;  for  thus  have 
men  before  now  turned  the  pure  word  of  God  into  an  astrolo- 
ger's almanack,  and  even  into  an  impostor's  credentials  1  It 
is  highly  necessary  to  distinguish  these  different  motives,  be- 
cause such  critical  periods,  as  that  in  which  we  are  living,  are 
peculiarly  apt  to  call  them  all  into  action,  even  in  one  and 
the  same  bosom ;  and  according  as  they  predominate  is  the 
judgment  of  our  trial.  Let  us,  therefore,  endeavour  to  detect 
this  lurking  enemy  of  the  truth,  so  that  we  may  be  enabled 
to  eject  him  from  our  bosoms. 

Let  us  try  our  hearts,  and  seek  there  the  impression  which 
is  made  upon  it  by  the  engrossing  events  of  the  times  in 
which  we  are  living  :  does  it,  in  a  sure  and  certain  faith,  in  the 
end,  say,  "  Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done,"  accepting 
equally  joy  and  sorrow,  looking  to  the  completion  of  all  pro- 
phecy to  be  accomplished  on  earth,  with  the  same  tranquillity 
and  steadiness  as  we  do  to  its  final  completion  in  heaven, 
when  this  mortality  shall  have  put  on  immortality,  and  this 
corruption  put  on  incorruption  1  Is  the  sorrow  swallowed  up 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  bliss  to  come"?  Is  the  joy  chas- 
tened as  an  earnest  of  everlasting  spiritual  blessedness? 
Again,  let  us  inquire  of  our  understanding.  Does  it  cautiously 
beware  of  mistaking  the  nearness  of  events  for  magnitude, 
their  interest  to  ourselves  for  importance  to  the  Church  of 
Christ ;  acknowledging  that  its  limited  powers  can  never  as- 


ON    PROPHECY.  55 

certain  their  real  importance,  even  in  a  political  light,  until 
long  after  they  have  passed,  and  dragged  in  their  tredn  a  num- 
ber of  pregnant  consequences  ;  how  much  less  then,  in  a  pro- 
phetical light,  where  the  view  must  be  extended  to  an  end 
far,  very  far,  beyond  the  most  acute  and  intent  gaze  of  the 
earthly  politician  ■?  Do  we  eject  thus  both  from  heart  and 
head  all  minor  considerations ;  reckon,  under  this  view,  the 
Church  of  Christ  our  only  country — its  triumphs  our  only 
interest?  Assuredly  if  we  indulge  in  any  more  narrow  con- 
templation, if  we  exert  not  this  catholicity  of  feeling,  our 
error  will  be  little  less  gross  than  that  of  the  Jew,  whom  na- 
tional pride  and  worldly  considerations  rendered  utterly  blind 
to  the  real  end  of  the  prophecies  vouchsafed  to  his  church  ; 
and  we  shall  be  driven  to  despair  by  those  calamities  which 
usher  in  the  triumphs  of  the  church,  even  as  the  fight  precedes 
the  victory.  Our  eye  of  flesh  shall  look  upon  earth,  and  be- 
hold trouble,  and  darkness,  and  dimness  of  anguish ;  and  our 
carnal  heart,  seeing  all  its  proud  hopes  laid  low,  the  cherished 
signs  of  the  Lord's  coming  all  falsified,  will,  like  that  of  the 
Jew,  turn  away  in  unbelief  from  the  real  heralds  of  his  ad- 
vent. Such  heralds  are  already  in  the  world,  and  one  of  the 
most  obvious  is  the  communication  existing,  and  still  increas- 
ing, both  in  extent  and  intensity,  between  all  the  sons  of 
Adam,  divided  though  they  be  by  sea  and  by  land,  by  tongues 
and  by  customs.  They  are  again  once  more  gathering  to  a 
common  head.  Even  our  own  lifetime  suffices  to  see  a  mani- 
fest increase  here  :  almost  daily  the  widening  prospect  takes 
in  at  least  a  nook  hitherto  unexplored  by  sight;  and  every 
nook  is  an  hour  or  a  day  embodied,  as  it  were,  and  visibly 
taken  from  the  delay  of  our  Lord's  coming.  In  looking  with 
hope  and  joy  on  such  a  prospect,  we  cannot  err :  there  is 
nothing  in  its  widening  extent  which  can  nourish  a  carnal 
feeling ;  for  it  is  obvious  that  such  extent,  if  it  be  due  to  peace, 
and  commerce,  and  good  will  amongst  men,  is  also  equally 
owing  to  wars,  ruined  empires,  subjugated  nations — to  pes- 
tilence, to  famine,  and  to  the  sword.  Having  received  our 
sign  from  God,  let  us,  like  his  prophets,  be  content  with  it; 
let  us  see,  in  faithful  hope,  the  day  of  our  Lord,  and  be  glad. 
Palpable,  though  undeveloped,  events  are  in  our  possession ; 
we  hold  in  our  hands,  as  it  were,  the  baby  Jesus,  and  with 
our  dying  breath  we  may  cry,  "  Lord  !  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salva- 


56'  ON  PROPHECY. 

tion."  Helpless  may  the  Church  of  Christ  appear  at  darker 
moments,  helpless  even  as  seemed  that  babe ;  it  may  have 
to  endure  spiteful  mockings,  to  be  a  sign  to  be  rejected,  yea, 
may  be  nailed  to  the  cross.  But  upon  all  this  the  eye  of  faith 
will  look  without  a  shrinking  of  doubt  or  dismay,  and  will 
continue  to  look  to  the  end,  while  every  carnal  eye  shall  long 
have  been  averted  in  perplexity,  disappointment,  and  disbe- 
lief. Even  at  such  a  moment,  perhaps,  when  men's  hearts 
are  failing  them  from  fear,  when  the  strong  are  bearing  up 
through  faith  against  the  burden  of  calamitous  days,  when 
the  weak  are  desponding,  when  the  apostate  is  triumphant ; 
even  then,  in  the  midst  of  the  fiery  trial,  that  prophecy  of  the 
1260  years,  so  much  the  concern  of  our  days,  which  has  been 
shifted  by  expounders  continually  to  and  fro  over  the  range 
of  history,  shall  all  at  once,  with  a  noise  of  thunder,  snap 
into  its  place,  and  every  part  and  joint  find  its  proper  position 
and  coincidence ;  all  become  symmetrical  and  clear,  to  the 
refutation  of  the  infidel,  the  confirmation  of  the  doubtful,  the 
triumph  of  the  believer.  Glorious  and  heart-moving  is  the 
view  which  God  hath  given  unto  the  Christian  Church  by 
his  word  of  prophecy,  uttered  since  the  world  began ;  the  fu- 
ture hope  of  the  Patriarch  and  the  Jew,  is  our  past  and  assured 
certainty.  To  them  this  word  came  in  various -ways,  at  va- 
rious times ;  uttered  now  and  then,  and  here  and  there ;  de- 
tached, progressive.  But  to  us  all  has  settled  into  one 
continuous  whole ;  and  comparing  ourselves  with  the  Jew, 
we  are  men,  indeed,  compared  with  children,  for  we  see  the 
tendency  of  all  that  discipline,  and  all  those  tasks,  which  he 
obeyed,  not  from  his  understanding,  but  because  it  was  the 
will  of  his  schoolmaster.  Instead  of  looking  forward  with 
idle  curiosity,  let  us  fix  our  eyes  upon  this  magnificent  spec- 
tacle of  prophecy,  and  filling  our  hearts  with  the  holy  feel- 
ings of  joy  and  thankfulness,  and  appreciation  of  God's 
majesty,  which  it  should  excite,  then  carry  on  our  eyes  in 
lowly  and  cheerful  hope  to  the  end.  A  view  hitherto  denied 
to  man  has  been  revealed  to  us,  and  blessed  are  our  eyes 
which  have  seen  things  denied  to  the  sight  of  Adam,  of  Abra- 
ham, and  of  David.  Jew,  indeed,  after  Jew  saw  the  progress 
of  God's  promises,  but  still  at  the  best  he  was  ascending 
within  the  tower  of  God's  temple,  catching  but  through  oc- 
casional loopholes  the  sights  and  sounds  from  without.  But 
we  are  they  who  stand  upon  the  sumrfiit  of  that  tower,  and 


ON  PROPHECY.  57 

looking  down  on  pinnacles  and  turrets,  buttresses,  and  foun- 
dations of  that  glorious  fabric,  see  them  all  conspiring  in 
grand  and  terrific  harmony. 

Finally,  my  brethren,  let  us  learn  to  look  to  the  end  from 
a  right  understanding  of  the  beginning :  so  shall  we  look 
forward  in  faith,  in  joy,  and  not  in  vain  curiosity  and  hank- 
ering; so  shall  we  have  grace  to  do  our  duties  with  all 
steadiness  and  single-mindedness  in  our  own  sphere  and 
days,  that,  if  at  any  time  the  appearance  of  the  world  shall 
say,  in  signs  not  to  be  misunderstood,  that  the  Lord  is  coming 
quickly,  we  may  joyfully  exclaim,  in  answer,  with  his  be- 
loved and  prophetic  disciple,  "  Even  so  !  come.  Lord  Jesus !" 
Thus  may  our  loins  be  girded  about,  and  lights  burning,  as 
men  that  wait  for  their  Lord  ;  for  the  Son  of  man  cometh  at 
an  hour  that  we  think  not. 


F  2 


68 


DISSERTATION  IV. 


ON  SCRIPTURE. 


Therefore^  brethren^  standfast^  and  hold  the  traditions  which  ye 
have  been  taught,  whether  by  word  or  our  epistle,— 2  Thess. 
ii.  15. 

We  have  already  shown  how  the  fundamental  points  of  God's 
word  were  revealed  to  his  Church  from  the  first.  The  acces- 
sions made  to  it  by  successive  revelations  will  appear  as  we 
examine  severally  its  articles ;  meanwhile  an  important  con- 
sideration calls  for  our  attention.  This  is  the  means  which 
God  hath  appointed  for  its  sure  transmission  from  generation 
to  generation,  and  the  use  we  are  bound  to  make  of  such  an 
instrument  of  knowledge. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  patriarchal  stage  which  required 
the  committing  of  God's  word  to  writing,  (supposing  that 
art  to  have  been  then  known,)  whether  we  regard  the  quan- 
tity of  revelation,  or  the  number  ot  persons  through  whom  it 
had  to  pass,  or  the  circumstances  of  its  preachers.  The 
quantity,  as  we  have  seen,  depended  upon  the  original  pro- 
mise made  to  Adam,  combined  with  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances under  which  he  received  it.  Now,  both  these  he 
himself  continued  declaring  to  the  world  for  900  years,  and 
between  him  and  Abraham  (to  whom  the  promise  was  re- 
newed with  still  greater  clearness)  occur  but  two  successions, 
namely,  of  Methuselah  and  Shem.*  The  circumstances  of 
its  preachers  were  peculiar  indeed :  for  when  has  the  world 
heard  such  a  preacher  as  the  first  Adam,  if  we  except  the 
second  Adam,  to  whom  he  bears,  in  many  points,  a  singular 

*  Methuselah  was  cotemporary  with  Adam,  243  years;  Shem  with 
Methuselah,  97  years ;  Abraham  with  Shem,  50  years. 


ON   SCRIPTURE.  59 

relation,  arising  from  his  having  been  the  corrupter  where 
our  Lord  was  the  restorer.  For,  first  of  all,  he  only  (with 
this  exception)  came  to  his  hearers  from  a  former  state  of 
bliss  and  innocence  :  how  vivid  and  heart-stirring,  then,  must 
have  been  his  setting  forth  of  the  happiness  and  glory  pro- 
mised hereafter ;  what  conviction  must  have  impressed  his 
hearers,  who  listened  to  one  who  had  actually  known  by  ex- 
perience what  he  stated,  and  not  drawn  upon  the  aspirations 
of  a  fervid  imagination.  He  only,  too,  (with  the  same  ex- 
ception) knew  from  personal  experience  the  extremes  of  ex- 
ultation and  abasement ;  knew  to  all  its  extent  the  degrada- 
tion of  sin  and  death,  and  tasted  the  cup  of  human  agony  to 
the  very  dregs.  He  alone  (with  the  same  exception)  could 
sympathize  with  the  infirmities  of  all  mankind,  for  in  him 
they  all  had  their  spring;  he  was  father,  not  only  of  their 
bodies,  but,  alas!  of  all  the  sins  and  pains  of  those  bodies. 
How  passionate,  how  powerful,  must  have  been  his  preach- 
ing to  the  inheritors  of  his  own  self-procured  sinfulness  and 
death.  How  affectionate  his  exhortation,  both  as  natural  and 
spiritual  father,  to  resist  that  plague  which  he  himself  had 
brought  upon  them.  How  deep,  how  edifying,  must  have 
been  his  penitence.  How  lively  his  thankfulness  to  God, 
his  pardoner;  how  joyful  his  hope  in  a  Redeemer;  how  pro- 
found his  humility ;  how  impressive,  therefore,  his  example, 
which  must  thus  have  borne  to  the  conduct  of  his  hearers, 
somewhat  of  that  relation  which  our  Lord's  bears  to  ours. 
It  bore  testimony  to  his  revelation.  How  unweariedly  watch- 
ful must  have  been  his  care  over  that  flock,  that  he  might 
bring  into  the  fold  of  eternal  life  the  sheep  whom  his  own 
sin  had  scattered  and  driven  astray.  How  intimate,  too, 
must  have  been  his  knowledge  of  the  human  breast :  he,  in- 
deed, knew  what  was  in  the  heart  of  man,  but  it  was  as  his 
corrupter,  and  not  as  his  maker ;  it  was  as  having  tasted  per- 
fect innocence  before  he  fell  into  guilt,  and  not  from  the  om- 
niscience of  divine  purity.  Finally,  his  very  presence  gave 
evidence  to  his  doctrine :  it  was  to  his  hearers  what  the  writ- 
ten word  is  to  us,  together  with  all  the  proofs,  collateral  and 
posterior,  of  its  authenticity.  The  sixth  part  of  a  man's  life 
of  those  days  did  not  elapse  between  him  and  Noah,  the 
preacher  of  righteousness.  And  when  between  the  first  and 
second  Adam  arose  a  greater  preacher  than  he,  unweariedly 
in  the  earlier  part  of  his  ministry  warning  men  of  the  wrath 
and  judgment  to  come,  and  during  the  latter  part  setting  forth 


60  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

the  dreadful  accomplishment  of  God's  justice'?  If  Adam 
could  tell  of  the  bliss  of  Paradise,  and  stir  up  his  descendants 
to  struggle  and  regain  that  bliss  in  a  world  to  come  everlast- 
ing, so  Noah  could  speak  of  the  horrors  of  the  flood,  and  en- 
treat his  posterity  to  beware  of  the  final  judgment  of  the  life 
hereafter.  Thus  both  the  mercy  of  God,  and  the  justice  of 
God,  were  preached  in  the  Patriarchal  Church,  with  a  power, 
and  under  circumstances,  which  rendered  quite  unnecessary 
any  commission  of  the  word  to  writing.  In  Abraham  the 
original  promise  is  both  confirmed,  amplified,  and  defined : 
the  Redeemer  is  to  spring  from  his  seed,  and  a  new  interven- 
tion of  God,  with  an  enlargement  of  his  mercy,  has  now  to  be 
handed  down  to  his  posterity.  But  so  shortened  is  human 
life,  that  such  tradition  could  not  go  far  without  corruption. 
After,  therefore,  repeating  his  covenant  with  Isaac  and  Jacob, 
God  put  the  finishing  crown  to  it  in  his  communication  with 
Moses,  caused  the  law  to  be  registered  in  writing,  and  Holy 
Scripture,  (in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,)  commenced,  after 
three  intervening  successions*  from  Abraham,  and  six  from 
Adam.  But  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  this  law,  which 
in  all  its  provisions,  civil  and  religious,  peculiarly  regarded 
the  abode  of  the  favoured  family  in  the  land  of  promise,  did 
not  take  the  place  of  the  creed  of  the  patriarchal  revelation, 
but  only  surrounded  it  as  a  vineyard  with  a  hedge,  to  protect 
it  from  the  devastation  of  the  superstition  without.  The  or- 
dinances are  put  upon  a  more  settled  footing ;  the  doctrines, 
if  not  expressed,  yet  lie  in  it  in  such  a  manner,  that,  suppos- 
ing them  to  be  once  known,  their  places  are  immediately 
found.]"  The  whole  faith,  therefore,  of  the  Patriarchal  Church, 
existing  at  the  time  of  the  delivery  of  the  law,  must  have  ex- 
isted ever  after.  But  that  nothing  may  be  wanting,  God 
maintained  a  continual  succession  of  prophets,  who,  as  they 
taught,  appealed  perpetually  to  these  doctrines,  and  if  these 
appear  to  be  expressed  more  clearly,  and  to  grow  in  number 
towards  the  end  of  the  Jewish  dispensation,  it  is  not  because 
they  only  now  began  to  be  entertained,  (as  some  paradoxical 
theorists  would  have  it,)  but  because  prophecy  became,  from 
circumstances  already  referred  to,  so  much  more  abundant  in 
quantity,  and  also,  from  growing  infidelity,  so  much  more  di- 

*  Jacob,  Levi,  Amram. 

t  Thus  the  article  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  lies  in  Exod. 
iii.  15,  as  shown  by  o\u'  Lord.     Matt.  xxii.  32. 


ON    SCRIPTURE.  61 

dactic  in  its  nature.  The  very  fact,  too,  which  all  divines 
allow,  of  the  later  prophecies  hinting  these  doctrines,  shows 
that  they  were  addressed  to  a  people  to  whom  they  were  fa- 
miliar. Thus  the  word  of  God  came  to  the  Jew  most  abun- 
dantly indeed.  It  came  to  him  by  tradition  from  his  fathers, 
which  was  farther  maintained  by  the  teaching  of  the  prophets, 
and  hinting  of  the  law ;  it  came  to  him  by  direct  precepts  from 
the  moral  part  of  the  law ;  it  came  to  him  reflected  from  innume- 
rable points  of  the  ceremonial  law  ;  and  all  this  in  such  a  man- 
ner, that  a  desire  of  knowledge  was  sure  to  be  rewarded  with 
knowledge,  and  increase  to  earn  increase.  Even  the  most  inert 
portion  of  it,  its  straightest  and  yet  most  unnecessary  injunc- 
tions, had  its  effect.  When  the  spiritual-minded  man  compared 
this  with  the  aspirations  which  had  been  raised  in  him  by  that 
portion  which  bore  spiritual  interpretation,  he  felt  an  inexpressi- 
ble yearning  after  something  better ;  he  discerned  a  designed  in- 
completeness ;  he  was  conscious  of  being  in  tutelage.  Every 
reading  of  the  law  thus  supplied  him  with  elements  of  thought, 
which  carried  him  on  far  beyond  the  point  at  which  it  ceased 
to  speak  openly :  it  hinted  most  abundantly,  but  fulfilled  most 
scantily.  Hence  he  was  continually  led  on  to  the  spirituality 
of  the  glorious  promises  made  in  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
and  looked  out  for  the  redemption  and  the  life  to  come. 

But  now  to  the  Christian  all  this  imperfection  has  become 
perfection ;  the  obstacle  of  carnal  ordinances  has  been  re- 
moved, and  unlimited  range  is  given  to  the  spirit.  All  that 
the  Patriarch  dimly  sought  in  prospect,  all  that  the  Jew 
doubtfully  handled  through  the  veils  of  type  and  prophecy, 
all  has  been  supplied,  and  more  than  the  heart  of  man  could 
have  contemplated  and  desired ;  the  flood-gates  are  burst 
with  the  abundance  of  the  stream,  yea,  all  the  windows  of 
heaven  have  been  opened,  and  the  whole  earth  is  covered 
with  the  waters  of  life.  The  word  of  God,  consigned  to 
writing  by  the  apostles  of  our  Lord,  and  their  disciples,  hath 
come  down  to  us,  and  will  go  down  beyond  us  to  remotest  ages, 
delivered  to  successive  generations  by  a  faithful  succession  of 
members  of  his  church,  the  existence  of  which  he  has  assured 
to  us  for  ever.  Having  received  a  gift  so  inestimable  in  it- 
self, so  wonderfully  provided  too  with  the  means  of  transmis- 
sion, let  us  with  grateful  hearts  search  into  its  riches,  and 
learn  to  apply  to  our  use  its  exceeding  benefits. 

For  this  purpose  we  will  first  consider  Scripture  as  a  book 


62  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

of  knowledge,  and  compare  it  with  the  most  instructive  and 
interesting-  of  the  different  classes  of  the  writings  of  men. 

I.  Since  it  applies  to  our  morals,  teaching  us  our  duties, 
let  us  compare  it  Afith  a  work  of  this  nature.  Let  us,  then, 
take  up  such  a  book,  the  most  perfect  let  it  be  which  the  un- 
evangelized  mind  of  man  is  capable  of  producing.  Let  us  go 
through  it,  comparing  sentence  with  sentence,  investigating  its 
principles,  proving  its  arguments,  imbibing  all  its  knowledge, 
and  possessing  ourselves  to  the  utmost  of  its  spirit.  Let  us 
rise  up  from  it  with  a  mind  exalted  far  beyond  its  former 
pitch,  and  burning  with  a  desire  to  put  into  practice  that  to 
which  both  heart  and  head  have  given  so  devotedly  their 
sanction  ;  and  when  we  come  into  the  world  of  practice,  alas ! 
is  not  the  intoxicating  dream  soon  over  1  Do  we  not  feel  de- 
ceived, deluded,  and  our  high  notions  supplanted  by  an  angry 
feeling,  as  if  we  had  been  imposed  upon,  or  by  the  despond- 
ency of  disappointment.  For  on  the  very  threshold  we  are  en- 
countered with  obstacles  which  had  never  been  calculated  upon, 
and  find,  both  in  ourselves  and  others,  infirmities  of  which  we 
had  but  slight,  if  any,  notice ;  and  a  depth  of  corruption,  of 
which  but  the  surface  had  been  presented.  Above  all,  we 
want  an  immovable  ground  of  principle ;  we  want  the  per- 
vading spirit  of  which  the  virtues  which  were  recommended 
are  the  body :  for  not  only  are  those  virtues  opposed,  but 
their  very  foundation,  such  as  it  is,  is  too  slight  to  withstand 
the  attack.  It  is  battered,  it  reels,  it  falls  ;  and,  with  it  all  the 
proud  towering  fabric  reared  upon  it,  of  vain-glorious  virtue, 
comes  with  a  crash  to  the  ground.  The  only  foundation  is 
faith  in  God,  and  the  only  book  which  can  supply  this  is  the 
word  of  God  :  that  book  comes  from  him  to  whom  all  hearts 
are  open,  all  desires  known,  who  knows  all  our  infirmities, 
and  hath  sounded  all  the  depths  of  our  corruption ;  who  hath 
fashioned  us  behind  and  before,  and  from  whom  no  secret  can 
be  hidden.  Informed  with  his  word,  we  are  informed  with 
his  spirit,  by  which  that  word  was  dictated ;  we  have  his 
grace  infused  upon  our  hearts,  so  that  we  draw  thence  not 
only  the  will  and  desire  to  do,  but  the  wisdom  and  power  also. 
It  forewarns  us  of  all  our  infirmities,  points  out  all  our  dan- 
gers, and  sends  us  into  action  prepared  to  encounter  the  worst 
which  can  befall.  We  are,  by  the  real  view  of  our  infirmities, 
humbled  in  order  to  be  exalted  ;  whereas  that  deluding  book 
of  human  wisdom  exalted  but  in  order  to  humble.  The  word 
of  men's  wisdom  moved  us,  b}'^  a  number  of  unconnected 


ON    SCRIPTURE.  63 

principles,  as  a  dead  body  may  be  put  into  motion  by  applica- 
tion to  its  dijBferent  members;  but  the  word  of  God  is  the 
spirit  of  life  within,  which  gives  motion  to  every  part  of  the 
living  body.  So  different  is  this  book  from  a  book  of  moral 
precept,  in  which  rank  half-believers  are  so  fond  of  consider- 
ing it. 

II.  Since  the  word  of  God  commands  and  forbids,  let  us 
next  compare  it  with  a  code  of  laws.  Now  in  the  case  of  all 
human  codes,  a  law  may  be  learned,  and  we  need  no'  refer  to 
it  again  ;  and  indeed  its  principal  laws  are  known  and  obeyed 
by  the  great  majority  without  having  seen  the  written  code  at 
all,  but  they  have  learned  them  from  their  conversation  with 
the  society  which  is  founded  upon  them.  But  can  this  be 
done  with  any  part  of  Scripture  1  Let  us  take  the  most  legal 
part  of  it,  the  decalogue ;  will  any  one,  who  has  ever  reflected 
upon  the  nature  of  its  all-seeing  Giver,  assert  that  any  one 
commandment  there  comes  to  him  with  the  one  unvaried 
meaning  (which  it  is  the  virtue  of  a  human  law  to  have) 
which  is  expressed  by  the  outward  letter  ]  Does  he  not  rather 
feel  that  the  searcher  of  all  hearts,  who  forbids  murder,  (for 
instance,)  forbids  also,  by  that  same  commandment,  all  thought 
and  feeling  which  by  any  possibility  may  ultimately  lead  to 
it;  and  that  therefore  the  most  gentle,  the  most  innocent,  the 
most  charitable  among  us,  may  recite  this  commandment  every 
day  of  his  life,  and  find  in  it  fresh  application  to  himself,  and 
cry  out  on  God  for  pardon  for  the  past,  and  grace  for  the  fu- 
ture ]  From  human  law  we  learn  what  to  do,  and  what  not 
to  do ;  but  from  divine  law  also  what  to  tbink,  and  what  not 
to  think.  Doing  requires  a  particular  occasion ;  thinking  is 
always  at  hand,  always  to  be  regulated,  and  therefore  the  law 
of  God  at  every  moment  applicable,  and  to  be  appealed  to. 
But  if  such  be  the  case  with  the  legal  and  comparatively  car- 
nal part  of  God's  word,  that  we  must  have  it  ever  in  our 
hands,  being  required  to  be  our  own  judges,  that  we  may  not 
be  judged,  (while  we  leave  the  exact  knowledge  of  human 
laws  entirely  to  the  magistrates  appointed  to  administer  them,) 
what  shall  we  say  to  the  spiritual  part  1  what  to  the  Gospel  1 
This  is  addressed  to  the  most  secret  and  inward  part  of  man ; 
in  order  fully  to  obtain  its  light  we  must  bare  to  it  the  inmost 
recesses  of  our  hearts :  and  who,  with  the  longest  life,  and 
most  uninterrupted  habit  of  self-examination,  ever  arrived  at 
its  bottom  ]  Who,  then,  but  a  madman  would  talk  of  a  sin- 
gle reference,  or  of  a  second-hand  knowledge,  as  sufficient 


64  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

here.  And  yet  this  is  but  half  of  the  instruction  laid  out  for 
us  by  the  Gospel,  which  not  only  helps  us  to  search  the  spirit 
of  man,  but  also  informs  us  of  the  spirit  of  God ;  and  who 
hath  ever  fathomed  that  depth  1 — still  more,  who  shall  com- 
bine the  knowledge  of  the  two,  and  bring  every  turn  and  wind- 
intr  of  his  own  spirit  under  cognizance  of  that  unsearchable 
spirit  1  No  son  of  man  is  able ;  but  every  son  of  man,  as 
having  a  spirit  hereafter  to  be  judged  by  that  spirit,  must  do 
this  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability,  and  anticipate,  as  far  as  in 
him  lies,  the  judgment  of  the  last  day ;  therefore  must  God's 
written  word  be  continually  in  his  hand,  that  it  may  be  writ- 
ten progressively  on  his  heart.  So  far  does  it  differ  from  a 
code  of  human  law. 

III.  Since  God's  word  contains  a  history  of  his  church, 
and  especially  of  its  divine  founder,  let  us  compare  it  with 
a  history. 

In  the  reading  of  history,  however  amused  and  instructed, 
and  even  interested,  we  may  be,  yet,  considered  with  regard 
to  our  individual  welfare,  we  are  but  little  concerned.  Let  it 
even  be  the  history  of  our  country,  let  our  own  forefathers  be 
amongst  the  most  celebrated  names,  let  our  own  native  spot  be 
the  scene  of  some  of  its  grandest  events  ;  we  lay  down  the  vol- 
ume indeed  with  a  glow  perhaps  of  enthusiasm  and  personal 
vanity,  but  we  never  take  it  up  again  but  for  occasional  refer- 
ence, or  for  particular  passages,  or  to  refresh  memory  by  a  rapid 
glance  of  the  eye,  or  to  indulge  the  abovementioned  passion ; — 
we  never  read  it  carefully  over  and  over  again,  compare  pass- 
ages, weigh  sentences,  with  the  interest  of  one  who  could  learn 
his  own  fate  from  it.  Nay,  let  even  this  history  be  one  of  grand 
and  critical  events,  which  not  only  bear  a  great  resemblance 
to  those  which  are  passing  before  our  eyes,  but  also  have 
evidently  given  birth  to  them,  so  that  we  can  trace  an  un- 
broken chain  from  one  to  the  other ;  still  we  do  not  feel  indi- 
vidually affected,  but  merely  as  members  of  general  society. 
Having  obtained  a  clear  knowledge  of  the  events,  and  drawn 
our  deductions,  we  close  the  book  with  a  consciousness  of 
access  to  our  knowledge  no  doubt,  and  with  a  renewed  inte- 
rest with  regard  to  the  aspect  of  our  own  times ;  and  we  may 
recur  often  to  it,  as  a  new  light  reflected  from  other  portions 
of  history,  or  from  passing  events,  clears  up  any  portion,  or 
throws  it  into  glowing  relief;  still  the  feeling  amounts  to  lit- 
tle more  than  curiosity  ;  we  perhaps  strongly  or  jocularly  ex- 
press our  sentiments  by  calling  it  the  book  of  fate.     Yet  is 


ON    SCRIPTURE.  65 

this  only  politically  speaking:  we  do  not  really  feel  our  for- 
tunes suspended  upon  those  events,  nor  consider  our  individual 
welfare  of  body  and  mind  as  flowing  from  them  ;  consequently 
in  this,  as  in  the  former  case,  the  first  reading,  if  it  be  not  the 
last  also,  is  the  only  thorough  reading :  and  however  we^nay 
improve  our  information  by  further  recurrence,  yet  at  no  time 
is  either  the  interest  of  that  vivid  force,  or  the  knowledge  of 
that  practical  nature,  such  as  to  have  any  sensible  influence  upon 
moments  not  dedicated  to  the  especial  contemplation  of  such 
a  subject. 

But  let  us  now  take  up  the  word  of  God,  the  history  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Every  event  here  is  one  of  a  grand  and 
brilliant  series,  tending  to  our  own  salvation.  The  actors  in 
them  are  God  the  Father  and  his  blessed  Son,  and  men,  our 
spiritual  forefathers,  whom  death,  instead  of  dividing  from  us, 
unites.  The  public  events,  even  of  the  most  worldly  com- 
plexion,— as  the  rise  and  fall  of  cities  and  empires,  of  Tyre, 
of  Babylon,  and  of  Persia, — as  recorded  there,  all  visibly  bear 
to  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ's  gospel  upon 
earth,  are  seen  at  this  moment  in  their  blessed  effects  upon  us 
and  around  us,  and  can  be  traced  tending  onward  still  to  bril- 
liant points  of  merciful  dispensation  beyond  us,  both  as  to 
place  and  time.  The  private  events  are  chiefly  those  which 
conduct  our  Saviour  to  his  cross,  give  continual  occasion  to 
words  from  his  mouth  of  inexpressible  comfort,  of  peace  and 
joy  to  every  earnest  reader,  and  contain  those  sufferings  which 
perfected  him  as  a  high  priest  appointed  to  offer  up  an  atone- 
ment for  our  sins.  Thus  our  own  salvation  is  the  continual 
theme,  the  means  of  it  the  continual  lesson.  And  it  is  the 
salvation,  not  of  the  body,  or  things  of  the  body,  of  which  the 
mind  intently  engaged  in  any  study  never  thinks,  but  of  that 
immortal  part,  which,  while  we  read,  we  feel  within  us  weigh- 
ing and  discerning  the  spirit  of  the  words,  and  trembling  or  ex- 
ulting at  their  import;  of  that  part  which  we  feel  indeed  and 
alone  to  be  ourselves,  from  which  we  are  conscious  that  we  ne- 
ver can  be  separated,  now  or  hereafter.  This  book,  proceeding 
from  the  spirit  of  God,  meets  our  spirit  with  his  spirit ;  and 
what  end  can  there  be,  what  satiety  of  instruction  and  enjoy- 
ment, in  such  a  communion  1  Neither  the  first  nor  the  hun- 
dredth and  first  perusal  will  satisfy.     It  is  a  book  for  life. 

IV.  We  may  also  consider  the  word  of  God  as  the  biography 
of  a  friend,  who  laid  down  his  life  for  us ;  as  the  testament 
of  a  friend  bequeathing  us  inestimable  and  everlasting  trea 
G 


66  ON  Scripture. 

sares  ;  as  the  letter  of  a  friend  from  a  distant  land,  to  which 
we  ourselves  must  one  day  go.  Under  this  and  every  other 
view  in  w^hich  we  can  possibly  place  it,  we  shall  find  it  an 
object  of  continual  study.  The  more  we  look  at  it,  the  more 
it  expands.  Some  fresh  quality  of  mercy,  some  new  channel 
of  grace,  some  uncontemplated  importance  of  fact  suggests 
itself  at  each  perusal;  and  innumerable  are  the  modes  of  joy 
and  sorrow,  endless  their  combinations,  which  we  thence  de- 
rive :  of  sorrow  for  the  suiferings  of  our  deliverer, — of  sorrow 
for  own  sinfulness  to  which  those  sufferings  were  due ;  but  of 
joy  for  our  Redeemer's  return  to  life  and  glory,  and  joy  for 
our  deliverance  thereby  so  wonderfully  accomplished. 

So  different,  so  inappreciably  superior  is  this  book  to  every 
other, — and  so  different,  so  inexpressibly  more  ardent  and 
persevering  must  be  our  study  of  it.  And  now,  let  us  ask  of 
ourselves,  is  it  thus  studied  1  Alas !  but  by  one  or  two  here 
and  there ;  and  they  will  confess  that  their  ardour  and  perse- 
verance is  far  below  what  they  are  conscious  it  should  be, 
and  that  they  never  can  hope  to  realize,  however  they  may, 
and  will  to  the  last  endeavour,  the  notion  and  plan  which 
they  have  set  before  them.  But  do  we  even  hear  it  talked  of 
as  every  book  of  general  and  powerful  interest  is  talked  of. 
Is  it  a  book  which  even  the  indolent  and  superficial  betake 
themselves  to,  because  it  is  so  common,  that  ignorance  upon 
it  is  disgraceful  ?  Alas  !  neither  is  it  so.  It  is  a  book,  the 
mention  of  which  is  studiously  shunned  in  general  society ; 
it  is  a  book  of  which  the  world  will  plead  ignorance  without 
a  blush.  Various  are  the  causes  of  this  treatm.ent.  It  re- 
quires much  study,  and  most  men  will  give  but  little  to  any 
book;  its  subject  is  spiritual,  and  most  men  are  natural. 
These  are  plain  and  obvious  causes ;  but  one  cause  there  is 
not  so  obvious,  but  fully  as  efficacious,  and  therefore  more 
insidiously  besetting  us :  it  is  the  notion  that  w-e  are  suffi- 
ciently acquainted  with  its  contents  already.  The  absurdity 
of  such  a  notion  has,  I  hope,  appeared  sufficiently  from  what 
has  been  just  stated.  But  as  its  effects  are  grievously  im- 
portant, let  us  examine  it  more  particularly. 

Of  what  nature  is  the  prevailing  knowledge  of  the  contents 
of  this  book?  It  is  a  loose,  traditional  information  which 
floats  about  in  society,  obtained  orally  and  not  by  reading, 
and  known  more  from  being  at  times  unavoidably  encoun- 
tered, than  by  being  ever  purposely  sought ;  its  highest  and 
purest  source  is  nothing  more  than  the  attention  which  de- 


ON  SCRirTURE.  67 

cency  demands  men  to  pay  to  public  worship,  and  this  ope- 
rates but  feebly.  It  mainly  comes  to  men  in  the  great 
traditional  stream  of  modes  and  opinions,  delivered  down  by 
one  worldly  generation  to  another ;  and  thus  reaches  the  pu- 
pil in  the  same  channel  with  the^  law  of  the  land,  with  the 
conventional  usages  of  society,  and  other  accompaniments 
which  entirely  strip  God's  word  of  its  awful  and  peculiar  dis- 
tinction from  man's,  degrade  its  solemn  character,  and  assign 
it  a  place  scarcely  above  that  of  the  established  canons  of  so- 
ciety. Such  a  knowledge  must  be  not  only  most  imperfect, 
but  erroneous  also ;  but  this  is  the  very  sort  of  knowledge 
which  administers  the  most  certain  obstacle  to  all  improve- 
ment or  correction;  this  knowledge  is  adapted  to  man's  cor- 
rupt inclinations,  it  satisfies,  therefore,  all  his  inquiries.  To 
alter  our  notions  is  to  confess  ourselves  in  the  wrong,  and 
this  our  vanity  will  not  allow ;  at  the  same  time  it  requires 
exertion,  and  this  our  indolence  will  not  endure:  thus  we 
cling  to  our  ignorance,  and  in  religion  mistaking  the  fami- 
liarity of  terms  (which  have  been  thrust  on  our  ears  whether 
we  would  or  not,)  for  the  meaning  of  them  (which  we  have 
never  taken  the  trouble  to  examine,)  whisper  in  our  careless 
and  overweening  spirit,  before  our  teacher,  perhaps,  has 
opened  his  lips,  "I  know  all  that  is  going  to  be  said  alrea- 
dy." This  presumption  of  knowledge  prevents  too  many 
from  consulting  the  original  at  all,  and  they  who  carry  the 

f>rejudices  of  imperfectly  acquired,  and  therefore  corrupt  know- 
edge,  to  the  reading  of  it,  are  beset  with  difficulties,  which 
it  requires  great  patience  and  exercise  of  good  sense  and 
judgment  to  surmount. 

The  great  danger  of  a  superficial  reading  in  this  case,  is  a 
confirmation  rather  than  dissipation  of  previous  errors.  When 
we  look  at  a  building  with  a  passing  glance,  it  will  often  as- 
sume the  features  which  we  expect  from  some  previous  but 
inaccurate  information,  or  are  inclined  to  find  :  our  senses 
have  not  time  to  contradict  our  notions  or  wishes ;  and  the 
having  seen  it  with  our  own  eyes,  convinces  us  more  than 
ever  of  the  accuracy  of  our  original  notion  of  it.  So  it  is  also 
with  the  mental  eye,  every  thing  is  as  we  expect  or  wish  to 
find  it ;  we  turn  over  the  leaves  in  Scripture,  see  the  same 
familiar  terms,  phrases,  and  facts,  and  shut  the  book  with  the 
satisfaction  of  having  searched  for  ourselves,  of  having  found 
ourselves  moreover  in  the  right,  and  are  thus  confirmed  in  our 
error.     But  as  when  we  go  up  close  to  that  building,  and  ex- 


68  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

amine  it  long  and  intently,  the  whole  appearance  alters  ;  mag- 
nitudes, places,  proportions  are  changed,  windows  are  found 
to  be  doors,  chimnies  to  be  towers,  pillars  to  be  buttresses, 
and  in  fact  the  very  order  of  architecture  different :  so  is  it 
when  we  come  to  apply  our  minds  closely  upon  Scripture, — 
all  is  changed.  Those  terms  so  familiar  assume  different 
senses,  are  beheld  in  a  different  connexion  and  bearing.  This 
relation  of  the  terms  to  each  other,  it  is,  which  we  must  en- 
deavour to  comprehend  every  day  with  surer  and  wider  grasp  ; 
from  this  alone  can  we  gain  the  clear  and  sure  understanding 
of  the  word,  and  be  imbued  with  a  deep  and  due  sense  of  the 
awful  meaning  of  its  terms.  Let  us  then,  having  opened  the 
book,  carry  on  our  search  with  all  the  activity  and  perseve- 
rance which  the  investigation  of  truth  demands  from  us  erring 
mortals.  Great  indeed  is  the  folly,  and  melancholy  is  the  de- 
lusion, of  satisfying  ourselves  with  the  mere  familiarity  to  our 
ear  and  eye,  of  even  the  least  important  term  (as  it  may  seem 
to  us)  in  the  gospel.  Every  stone  in  a  building,  however 
magnificent  the  whole  may  be,  is  in  itself  commonplace  and 
familiar ;  but  as  our  eye  carefully  travels  from  it  to  its  neigh- 
bours, we  are  led  to  survey  the  harmony  and  grandeur  of  the 
whole ;  and  on  returning  to  it,  we  are  surprised  to  find  that 
stone,  hitherto  thought  so  indifferent,  filling  some  important 
position  in  the  support  or  beauty  of  the  entire  building.  Al- 
most every  day,  on  going  forth  from  our  doors  in  a  large  city, 
we  encounter  familiar  faces ;  but  unimportant  as  they  may  thus 
appear,  did  we  inquire  about  such  persons,  we  should  find 
them  perhaps  filling,  in  their  respective  spheres,  useful  and 
necessary  stations  in  the  structure  of  the  society  by  which  we 
are  surrounded.  Such  is  also  the  difference  in  importance 
and  meaning,  with  which  the  most  familiar  terms  and  pass- 
ages of  Scripture  strike  the  person  who  had  hitherto  been 
content  to  take  them  as  they  were  offered  to  him,  but  has  now 
determined  to  ascertain  their  meaning  for  himself.  And  how 
happy  has  ever  been  the  result.  How  many,  thus  seeking, 
have  found  that  they  had  been  familiar  with  an  angel  of  God, 
with  a  prophet  of  the  Most  High,  yet  known  them  not  any 
more  than  those  two  carnally-minded  disciples  did  their  Lord 
on  the  road  to  Emmaus.  How  many  have  discovered  in  those 
terms  which  they  had  carelessly  heard,  and  still  more  care- 
lessly, perhaps,  employed,  and  discovered  with  a  surprise  of 
wholesome  fear  or  joy, — here  a  messenger  to  repentance,  there 
a  monitor  to   obedience :  here  a  minister  of  hope,  there  of 


ON   SCRIPTURE.  69 

dread :  here  a  queller  of  his  pride,  there  an  encourager  of  his 
despondency  :  here  a  chaatiser  of  the  conscience  and  a  prober 
of  the  heart,  there  a  comforter  to  the  spirit,  and  soother  of  his 
troubles. 

Let  us  proceed  to  remove  the  veil  which  long  familiarity- 
has  thrown  over  some  of  these  terms,  and  see  if  their  real  fea- 
tures be  indeed  so  insignificant,  so  uninspiring,  so  unappalling. 

How  familiar  are  the  terms  Salvation  and  Redemption  to 
the  ears  of  men ;  but  have  they  ever  called  up  together  into 
their  mind,  and  placed  next  to  their  hearts,  the  facts  which 
are  included  under  them, — man  expelled  from  bliss,  a  world 
lost  in  iniquity,  devoted  to  death,  the  Son  of  God  appearing 
as  a  Redeemer  from  heaven,  crucified  for  its  sins,  raised  again 
for  its  justification ;  themselves,  in  particular,  subject  to  the 
shame,  and  liable  to  the  glory  implied  in  all  this  cluster  of 
heart-stirring  facts  1  Men  will  speak  of  grace ;  but  have  they 
learned  from  the  testimony  of  their  own  closely  questioned 
hearts,  gathered  from  well  applied  experience,  and  drawn  from 
the  instruction  of  Holy  Writ,  how  much  that  is  called  in  to 
lepairl  Have  they  followed  with  generous  aspirations  its 
glorious  course  through  the  characters  exhibited  in  Scripture, 
from  the  first  day  of  the  spirit's  visible  descent  upon  the  apos- 
tles, tracing  its  healing  influence  on  the  weakness  and  corrup- 
tion of  human  nature  ]  Have  they  examined  its  promises, 
its  means,  its  objects,  and  sought  by  earnest  prayer  its  effects 
upon  themselves  T  They  will  speak  of  the  atonement ;  but 
have  they  ever  in  their  hearts  leisurely  confronted  two  beings 
face  to  face, — sinful,  weak,  mortal  man,  with  holy.  Almighty, 
everlasting  God — and  have  they  then  tried  to  reach  the  height 
of  the  mercy,  and  sound  the  depth  of  the  love  which  could 
draw  cords  of  reconciliation  between  two  such  beings  ]  They 
will  use  the  term  future  retribution;  but  have  they  ever 
calmly  looked  in  the  face  the  tremendous  aggregate  of  facts 
to  which  that  term  gives  unity :  Christ  coming  with  his  host 
of  holy  angels  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  the  trump  of 
God,  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  of  all  tongues,  and  of 
all  ages  ;  separating  the  crowd, — as  Moses  once  the  sea, — on 
his  right  hand  and  on  his  left,  welcoming  the  one  side  to 
bliss,  dismissing  the  other  into  everlasting  punishment] 

They  will  speak  of  our  Lord's  divinity.     But  have  they 
ever  traced  him  in  that  glorious  attribute  through  the  two  co- 
venants, blazing  as  the  angel  of  the  one  with  fearful  signs  and 
wonders ;  and  going  about  humbly,  as  the  minister  of  the 
g2 


70  ON  SCRIPTURE. 

Other,  doing  good  with  miracles  of  mercy  and  love  ?  Have 
they  reflected  how  overw^helmingly  awful  this  attribute  ren- 
ders what  is  already  so  awful ;  how  it  affects  his  rejection, 
his  agony,  his  cross,  and  his  grave ;  and  how  prominent  in 
responsibility  the  Christian  stands  apart  from  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, for  hence  God  is  in  a  peculiar  manner  his  master,  God 
in  a  peculiar  manner  his  judge  1  Such,  when  unveiled,  is  the 
aspect  presented  by  but  a  few  of  the  general  terms  of  Scrip- 
ture. And  their  meaning  is  such,  we  see,  as  must  not  come 
and  go  at  man's  will  and  bidding,  but  abide  with  him  in  his 
heart,  being  continually  kept  filled  up  to  their  full  measure 
by  frequent  appeals  to  Scripture.  Thus  alone  will  they  have 
due  weight  upon  our  understanding  and  affections.  Other- 
wise with  advancing  years  they  will  continually  drop  some- 
what of  their  former  fulness,  make  a  slighter  and  slighter 
impression,  gradually  lose  all  power  of  affection,  and  finally 
sink  into  the  most  vague  and  unmeaning  portion  of  the 
vocabulary. 

Shall,  then,  any  thing  less  than  a  serious  and  persevering 
study  of  this  heavenly  volume  content  us  ?  Can  we  ever  dis- 
pense with  it  ?  Only  let  us  inspect  our  own  bosoms.  What 
infinite  varieties  and  variations  of  sense  and  passion,  what 
changes  of  shapes  of  thought,  and  all  its  innumerable  combi- 
nations, are  taking  place  there,  within  even  a  short  interval, — 
within  one  glance,  I  may  say, — of  self-examination.  Not  for 
one  moment  is  our  frame  of  mind  in  one  stay.  Yet  his  word, 
who  knew  what  was  in  the  heart  of  man,  has  ever  something 
wherewith  to  meet,  correct,  and  turn  to  the  best  account,  every 
one  of  these  varieties.  Can  we,  then,  ever  cease  to  need  its 
application  1  As  well  may  our  body  live  without  the  vivify- 
ing soul,  as  our  mind  dispense  with  the  life-giving  spirit  of 
Holy  Scripture.  Again,  therefore,  let  me  urge  you  to  read, 
mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest :  above  all,  ascertain  well 
your  present  state  of  knowledge  of  the  word,  nor  be  afraid  to 
discover  your  ignorance ;  for  as  surely  as  the  fear  of  God  is 
the  beginning  of  that  wisdom  which  prompts  us  to  obey  him, 
so  is  the  consciousness  of  our  ignorance  the  beginning  of  that 
wisdom  which  leads  us  to  know  him;  and  having  known 
him,  to  love  him  with  that  perfect  love  which  casteth  out  fear. 
And  now,  finally,  let  me  dismiss  you  with  an  appeal  to  that 
name  which  ye  bear.  Ye  are  called  Christians.  This  term, 
so  familiar  as  to  be  tossed  about  from  one  to  another,  be- 
stowed indiscriminately  on  every  one  around  us,  nay,  in  many 


ON    SCRIPTURE.  7l 

months,  even  synonymous  with  man,  what  does  it  impl}'^  1  It 
implies  the  sworn  soldier  and  servant  of  Him,  who  is  God, 
Saviour,  Priest,  King,  Prophet,  Maker,  and  Judge  of  the 
world.  In  it  is  comprehended  the  extreme  of  earthly  humilia- 
tion and  of  heavenly  glory :  in  it  we  axe  reminded  of  man's 
fall  and  recovery,  Satan's  triumph  and  defeat,  of  the  conquered 
powers  of  darkness,  of  the  conquering  powers  of  light,  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  upon  earth,  and  in  the  world  to  come  ever- 
lasting. Keeping  in  sight  this  meaning  of  the  title  which  ye 
bear,  look  into  your  own  hearts,  see  their  irresolution,  rebel- 
liousness, confliction  of  duty  with  passion,  of  spirit  with  flesh, 
of  darkness  with  light,  and  fly  to  the  remedy  which  God  hath 
set  before  you,  even  his  pure  word.  Let  this  title,  coming 
on  your  ears,  be  a  trumpet-call  to  duty,  rousing  all  your  spirit 
within  you,  as  faithful  soldiers  of  your  heavenly  Master. 
And  thus,  even  thus,  by  knowledge,  by  goodness,  by  the 
armour  of  God  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left,  may  we  have 
Christ  abiding  with  us,  ever  by  his  precious  word  through 
his  Holy  Spirit,  making  us  wise  unto  salvation. 


72 


DISSERTATION  V. 


ON  SCRIPTURE. 


Study  to  show  thyself  apprm^ed  unto  God,  a  workman  that 
needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word. — 2  Trin. 
ii.  15. 

The  necessity  of  a  continual  study  of  Scripture,  has  appeared 
from  its  peculiar  character  as  a  hook,  in  whatever  class  we 
choose  to  consider  it.  But  this  will  appear  still  more  clear  on 
considering  not  merely  its  subject,  but  the  manner  in  which 
that  subject  is  treated.  We  shall  find  that  there  is  a  pecu- 
liarity in  the  arrangement  of  its  matter  in  the  holy  volume, 
which  will  require  a  more  particular  study  than  would  be  ne- 
cessary under  other  circumstances. 

For  this  purpose  let  us  only  consider  what  is  the  nature  of 
the  most  celebrated  works  which  profess  to  teach  us  the  du- 
ties of  life.  They  are  regular  S3^stems  ;  precept  is  drawn  re- 
gularly from  precept,  and  all  proceeds  by  an  unbroken  chain 
of  reasoning,  from  some  fundamental  proposition.  In  this 
consists  their  excellence ;  but  how  unsuitable  is  all  this  to  the 
purposes  of  life.  Here,  so  far  from  meeting  with  any  thing 
like  system,  every  thing  is  a  contradiction  to  it.  We  find 
ourselves  in  a  wilderness  of  circumstances,  between  which 
the  mind  can,  at  the  moment,  trace  no  imaginable  connection, 
amid  a  confused  train  of  thoughts  and  passions,  brought  into 
play  by  unforeseen  objects,  without  visible  mutual  influence, 
intermingled  without  rational  order,  exciting,  without  perma- 
nent effect.  Can  we  wonder,  therefore,  at  the  slight  domi- 
nion which  such  books,  however  admirable,  have  ever  exer- 
cised upon  practice ;  exhibiting,  as  they  do,  a  regular  chain 
of  consequences  which  is  never  witnessed  in  real  life ;  ad- 
dressing themselves  to  that  which  is  comparatively  so  little 


ON   SCRIPTTTRE.  73 

consulted — the  understanding — and  leaving  entirely  unaffected 
that  grand  and  constant  source  of  action,  the  heart :  we  may 
even  go  further,  and  assert,  that  as  far  as  they  do  influence 
us,  they  throw  the  events  of  life,  with  which  we  daily  come 
into  close  contact,  to  too  great  a  distance,  by  making  them 
subjects  of  theory,  and  thus  lead  us  to  speculate  when  we 
should  be  practising ;  and  to  think,  when  we  should  be  feel- 
ing. The  book  which  shall  have  a  deep  abiding  practical 
influence  on  real  life  must  reflect  its  image,  must  present  that 
real  mixture  of  facts,  thoughts,  and  feelings,  which  is  found 
to  exist  there,  and  while  it  does  not  neglect  the  proper  ap- 
peals to  the  understanding,  will  hold  prominently  forward 
noble  and  influential  motives  to  the  heart ; — such  a  book  is 
Holy  Scripture. 

In  this  work  the  wisdom  of  God  has  consulted  our  weak- 
ness, which  in  those  books  it  was  the  object  of  the  pride  of 
men  to  disallow.  It  would  seem  as  if  system  had  been  pur- 
posely avoided.  Of  the  two  portions  of  which  it  consists,  the 
one,  the  Gospels,  is  a  narrative  of  facts,  told  as  they  occurred, 
which,  as  they  arrest  the  attention,  and  challenge  the  under- 
standing, in  their  important  bearings,  engage  also  the  heart, 
incidentally,  as  it  were,  in  the  great  stream  of  doctrine  with 
which  they  are  pervaded.  The  other,  the  Epistles,  that 
great  doctrinal  storehouse,  is  composed  of  occasional  letters, 
full  of  continual  reference  to  facts,  abounding  with  appeals  to 
the  affections,  and  so  seldom  indulging  in  any  lengthened 
train  of  argument,  that  we  are  commonly  left  to  gather  the 
doctrine,  by  putting  together  what  is  there  detached,  and  by 
supplying  what  was  evidently  pre-supposed.  This  provision 
of  God's  wisdom  becomes  still  more  apparent  on  turning  to 
any  of  the  regular  systems  of  divinity.  How  cold,  how  for- 
mal, how  unpractical  they  appear ;  yet  the  doctrine  is  pre- 
cisely the  same,  having  been  drawn  from  its  pages.  It  is  the 
absence  of  facts,  and  artificial  regularity  of  arrangement, 
which  causes  the  difference.  In  the  former  case  we  were 
presented  with  real  beings ;  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  moved 
before  our  eyes ;  the  doctrines  came  forth,  as  called  by  circum- 
stances,— always  interesting,  oftentimes  most  heart-stirring, — 
from  their  mouths,  or  as  illustrated  with  vivid  beauty  and 
truth  in  their  behaviour.  The  doctrines  were  thus  associated 
with  facts,  and  made  their  impression  on  the  heart  with  all  the 
solidity  of  substance.  We  were  presented  not  only  with  teach- 
ers, but  with  their  hearers  also.     We  listened  to  the  one,  we 


74  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

sympathized  with  the  other.  When  our  Saviour  spoke,  we 
stood  amid  the  train  of  apostles  and  disciples ;  when  St. 
Paul  reproved  the  Corinthians,  we  vv-ere  interested  in  their 
sorrow;  when  he  commended  them,  we  participated  in  their 
joy;  when  he  advised  Timothy,  we  joined  with  him  in  fear- 
ful and  trembling  responsibilit)\  Every  little  fact,  whether 
told  directly  out,  or  only  disclosed  by  allusion,  drew  us  into 
a  nearer  fellowship,  giving  additional  substance  of  flesh  to 
our  conceptions,  awakening  our  social  feelings,  and  thus 
opening  all  the  channels  of  the  heart  to  the  reception  of  the 
doctrine.  But  in  the  other  case,  our  Lord  becomes  almost  an 
abstract  being ;  the  goodly  train  of  apostles,  disciples,  hearers, 
and  assembled  churches,  vanishes  at  once ;  facts  are  excluded, 
and  thus,  wiiile  we  have  to  follow  the  studied  arrangement  of 
the  compiler,  and  are  debarred  from  the  interest  of  making 
our  own  inferences  ;  our  heart,  at  the  same  time,  has  scarcely 
any  thing  palpable  presented  to  it. 

This  disposition  of  its  matter  will  indeed  require  more  at- 
tention; but,  at  the  same  time,  the  impression  made  is  not 
only  deep  and  lasting,  but  also  sure  and  genuine  :  let  us  re- 
sort to  an  illustration.  Suppose  a  fig-ure,  an  image  for  in- 
stance, put  into  our  hands,  not  entire,  but  in  separate  pieces, 
which  are  adjusted  wisely  to  each  other;  when,  after  many 
trials  and  much  study,  we  had  put  this  together,  should  we 
not  have  a  much  more  distinct  and  correct  notion  of  it  than 
if  we  had  examined  it  ever  so  long  entire  1  We  now  know 
clearly  the  relations  of  the  different  parts,  with  their  proper 
proportions,  so  clearly,  that  were  a  fragment  presented  to  us, 
as  belonging  to  the  figure,  we  could  satisfy  ourselves  whe- 
ther it  did  really  so  or  not,  and  our  memory  retain  steadily, 
and  to  our  great  satisfaction,  that  w^hich  our  own  labour  has 
put  together.  Such  is  the  result  of  having  studied  so  as  to 
make  our  own  arrangement  of  the  miscellaneous  detail  of 
Scripture.  Having  put  all  its  separate  parts  together  in  our 
minds,  its  doctrines  in  our  understanding,  its  feelings  in  our 
hearts,  and  thus  spiritually  framed  in  our  breasts  its  entire 
configuration,  we  keep  it  by  us  permanently;  and  are,  more- 
over, enabled  at  any  moment  to  reject  such  false  doctrine  as 
the  interested  cunning  of  man  may  seek  to  impose  upon  us. 
We  see  at  once  its  discrepancy;  we  know  that  there  is  no 
part  to  which  it  can  be  adapted.  We  will  not  argue  on  the 
doctrine  itself,  whether  reasonable  or  othervvise;  but  we  see 
that  it  is   incongruous  with  the  whole,  and    that  is  sufficient 


ON   SCRIPTUHE.  75 

for  its  rejection.     But  snpposin;^  that  what  we  have  thus  re- 
jected, be  proposed  to  one  who  has  not  thus  studied  Scripture 
for  himself,  but  depends  upon  the  aid  of  a  system  of  divinity, 
well  and  clearly  drawn  out, — will  he  have  the  same  ready 
discernment  T    He  will  not  at  the  very  outset,  in  all  probability, 
-have  studied  the  system  itself  sufficiently  ;  made  out  as  it  is 
to  his  hands,  he  will   rely  upon  being  able  to  lay  his  finger 
upon  any  part,  when   occasion  calls,  and  not  have  the  whole 
in  his  mind.     In  any  case,  he  will  not  have  the  due  compre- 
hension of  the  bearing  of  the  different  parts  to  the  one  and 
only  true    shape;  nor  will  the  figure  be  filled  up  in  all  its 
parts,  and  unalterably  fixed,  but  will   flicker  in  his   mind. 
Thus  it  will  admit  of  incongruous  additions,  there  is -room  for 
preposterous  impertinences  to  intrude,  and  his  faith  is  in  jeo- 
pardy every  hour.     Under  these  circumstances,  able  and  even 
honest  men  may  be  entangled  in  the  subtleties  of  wily  argu- 
ers,  and  receive  for  true  what  has  been  made  to  have  to  them 
the   semblance  of  truth.     But  with  the  proper  study  of  the 
original,  men,  unlearned  in  all  other  respects,  may  attain  a 
stability  of  faith  which  shall  be  proof  to  any  shock  from  false 
brethren  without.     So  harmonious  are  the  various  relations  of 
Scripture,  so  accordant  with  all  his  purest  notions  ;  so  come 
in  aid  of  all  his  serious  wants,  so  adapt  themselves  to  every 
turn  of  his  mind,  to  every  point  of  his  understanding ;  so  apply 
to  all  the  affairs  of  life,  that  he  has  the  firmest,  the  most  un- 
shaken conviction  of  its  truth.     It  has  completely  adapted 
itself  to  his  mind,  become  one  with  it,  and  partakes,  therefore, 
of  the  certainty  of  its  existence. "  No  subtleties  suggested  by 
unbelievers  will  move  him.     As  well  may  they  propound  to 
him  Berkeley's  objections  to  the  existence  of  matter.     Nor 
will  he  be  less  safe  from  the  impositions  of  false  teachers, 
whose  doctrines  he  will  quickly  discern  to  be  at  variance  with 
the  truth.     To  the  learned,  who  has  to  pursue  the  history  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  after  the  apostolic  period,  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  have   arrived  thus  at  a  decisive  state  of 
religious  opinion,  in  order  that  he  may  discern  whether  what 
he  reads  is  traceable  to  Scripture,  whether  they  deform   the 
original,  or  conform  to  it.     This  being  the  nature  of  the  Holy 
Volume,  it  is  plain  that  it  requires  qualities  in  its  student  in 
a  higher  degree  tlian  that  in  which  they  are  commonly  exer- 
cised  upon  other  books.     It  must  be  read  with  more  than 
common  candour  and  sincerity,  with  more   than  common  at- 
tention, with  more  than  common  perseveranx^e. 


76  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

We  all  know  how  a  perverted  mind  distorts  every  thina  to 
its  ow^n  views  in  the  perusal  of  writing^s,  especially  in  such  as 
are  of  a  moral  and  historical  cast.  By  a  misrepresentation 
of  some  particulars,  and  a  wilful  slurring  over  of  others,  out 
of  any  complex  question  or  body  of  facts,  it  can  re-model  the 
whole  in  satisfactory  unison  with  its  most  corrupt  inclina- 
tions. Now  Scripture  is  both  a  moral  (taking  the  word  in 
its  widest  sense)  and  historical  book,  and  the  facilities  of 
perversion  are  very  much  increased,  by  the  very  circumstance 
which  we  have  seen  to  be  favourable  to  ingenuous  minds, 
namely,  its  arrangement.  This  is  not  that  regular  and  closely 
woven  chain  which  binds  the  reader  to  follow  every  step, 
examine  every  point,  resisting  by  its  systematic  connection 
every  attempt  to  omit  or  displace  any  link.  But,  in  addition, 
the  corrupt  bosom  is  sure  to  carry  into  the  perusal  the  most 
hearty  good  will  to  pervert.  For  the  real  views  which  the 
book  exhibits  are  so  humbling  to  human  pride,  so  full  of  me- 
nace and  stern  rebuke,  to  the  darling  propensities  of  fallen 
man,  and  unfold  such  awful  views  of  present  responsibility 
and  future  judgment,  that  our  corrupt  nature  gladly  lays  hold 
of  any  means  of  turning  aside  from  so  uninviting  a  contem- 
plation. In  deducing,  therefore,  its  doctrines,  such  a  bosom 
will  select  or  omit  such  quantity  and  quality  of  detail  as  best 
suits  its  own  previous  views.  Is  not  the  history  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  full  of  examples  of  this  abuse  of  Scripture, 
and  see  we  not  the  most  determined  self-accommodation  in 
those  w^ho,  in  our  days,  denying  our  Lord's  atonement,  con- 
duct their  controversy  with  a  perversion  and  disingenuousness 
incredible  to  those  who  have  not  witnessed  if?  But,  perhaps, 
on  a  strict  self-examination,  we  may  find  something  of  this  in 
our  owm  selves ;  and  our  own  consciousness,  combining  with 
the  memory  of  past  experience,  will  suggest  but  too  many  of 
those  shades  of  corrupt  feeling  which  intervene  between  the 
first  timid  flutter  of  stricken  conscience  or  wounded  vanity, 
which  would  fain,  but  dares  not,  turn  aside  from  some  mortify- 
ing conclusion ;  and  the  proud  defiance  w^hich  shuts  the  vol- 
ume at  once,  as  speaking  the  language  of  a  reproachful 
enemy. 

A  frank  and  ingenuous  mind  alone  would  profit  of  old  from 
the  preaching  of  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles ;  and  the  same 
is  equally  required  for  the  profitable  perusal  of  what  they 
have  left  in  writing.  We  must  approach  this  volume,  as  we 
would  the  ark  of   God,  with  a  profound  reverence,  with  a 


ON  SCRIPTURE.  77 

wholesome  fear  of  violating  its  purity,  and  with  an  offering 
of  our  whole  heart,  laying  it  open  before  him  to  his  searching 
light  in  all  its  deepest  recesses,  without  the  reserve  of  a  single 
nook,  or  the  subterfuge  of  a  single  turning.  Thus  seeking  in 
all  humility  the  knowledge  of  his  will,  and  not  the  confirma- 
tion of  our  own,  we  shall  obtain  the  blessed  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  who  will  at  once  purify  our  bosom,  and  enlighten 
our  understanding. 

The  -very  nature  of  this  book,  we  have  seen,  forbids  any 
correct  information  to  be  derived  from  such  a  perusal  as  is 
given  to  other  books  ;  a  slight  reading  will  neither  dissipate 
previously  entertained  errors,  nor  attain  to  any  sound  doctrine, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  is  likely  to  add  but  error  to  error.  We  are 
sufficiently  fortunate  in  such  a  case,  if  we  are  supplied  with 
a  bare  historical  belief  of  the  facts  of  Scripture.  But  never 
can  we  arrive  at  the  deep  and  lively  impressions  of  the  heart, 
the  holy  temperament  of  the  feelings,  the  linking  of  the 
thoughts  in  one  bond,  the  direction  of  them  to  one  object,  the 
steadiness  of  view  which  can  behold  the  light  without  a  mote 
in  the  eye,  or  a  cloud  in  the  air, — in  a  word,  a  firmly  rooted 
faith.  This  is  the  reward  of  far  superior  exertion?,  the  effect 
of  an  union  of  heart  and  understanding  in  the  same  cause, 
which  can  be  attained  by  unwearied  diligence  only,  exerted 
in  putting  together  again  and  again,  and  weighing  in  all  its 
bearings  the  detail  of  Holy  Writ. 

But  it  must  be  pursued  also  with  more  than  common 
perseverance.  In  the  perusal  of  other  books  we  may  often 
arrive  at  their  conclusion  with  our  reasoning  advanced,  and 
imagination  excited  beyond  the  point  at  which  the  author  has 
paused.  And  in  every  case,  so  circumscribed  is  the  mind  of 
man,  a  definite  number  of  perusals  is  sufficient  to  give  us 
full  possession  of  all  which  the  author  himself  really  under- 
stood. But  Scripture  presents  us  with  a  portion  of  the  mind 
of  God,  and  who  hath  ever  known  that,  or  been  his  coun- 
sellor 1  Or  who  shall  set  limits  to  it,  and  think  that  it  shall 
be  comprehended  in  the  limited  mind  of  man "?  The  least 
particle  of  revelation  from  God,  in  intimate  connexion  as  it 
is  with  all  above  and  below,  past  and  future,  is  sufficient  for 
ever  to  task  the  human  faculties.  Were,  therefore,  life  pro- 
tracted to  a  period  ever  so  long,  the  more  he  studied,  the 
more  also  would  the  student  find  to  demand  his  study  still. 
The  heart  needs  a  continual  renewal  of  healthy  affections,  by 
feeding  upon  the  sense  of  God's  will ;  the  understanding  ta 
H 


78  ON  SCRIPTURE. 

be  brought,  from  continual  deviation,  into  adjustment  with 
the  standard  of  divine  truth ;  and  as  page  is  turned  over  day 
after  day,  fresh  passages  are  starting  into  importance,  while 
others,  which  appeared  detached,  are  forming  clusters  in  his 
mind  ;  and  in  every  direction  views  are  expanding,  difficulties 
clearing  up,  deeper  and  more  lasting  impressions  are  forming. 
Who,  for  instance,  M'ill  say  that  his  understanding  ever 
arrived  at  an  unbroken  view,  even  within  its  reasonable 
limits,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  1  Who,  that  his  heart 
ever  satisfied  itself  with  reaching  the  depth  of  feeling  express- 
ed in  St.  Paul's  farewell  address  to  the  Church  of  Ephesus, 
— how  much  less  in  those  passages  in  which  he  accompanies 
the  Saviour  of  the  world  to  the  cross]  Who,  that  he  ever 
satisfied  either  heart  or  understanding,  in  the  crowded  mag- 
nificence and  awakening  conclusions  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews'?  The  book  which  tells  of  the  future  life,  may 
indeed  well  demand  for  its  comprehension  all  the  employment 
of  this,  and  the  word  of  God  for  ever  invite  the  highest 
exertion  of  the  faculties  of  man. 

W^ith  these  qualifications  then  of  more  than  common  sin- 
cerity, attention,  and  perseverance,  the  student  must  approach 
the  holy  volume.  The  grand  requisite  implied  in  them  all  is 
an  habitual  and  patient  examination  of  detail,  an  habitual  and 
careful  study  of  facts,  which  must  be  the  more  numerous  and 
the  more  established,  in  proportion  to  the  extent  and  weight 
of  the  superstructure. 

Unfortunately  this  requisite  is  less  common  than  it  was. 
It  is  the  fault  of  our  stage  of  society.  Our  predecessors  have 
left  us  so  many  aids  in  every  department  of  knowledge,  so 
furnished  us  every  where  with  ready-made  collections  of  facts, 
with  ready-drawn  outlines  and  systems,  that  he  must  have  a 
mind  far  more  independent  and  original  than  his  fellows,  who 
will  forego  all  these  advantages,  and  seek  for  himself;  who 
will  despise  the  vanity  and  low  ambition  which  can  make  an 
ostentatious  display  of  knowledge  acquired  at  second  hand, 
and  can  exult  in  the  borrowed  plumage  of  far  nobler  minds ; 
who  will  enter  with  the  undaunted  spirit  of  the  champion  into 
all  the  dust  and  tumult  of  the  arena,  and  grapple  hand  to  hand 
with  detail ;  who,  amid  a  multitude  of  facts,  will  form  his 
own  combinations,  create  his  own  shapes,  cut  out  through 
the  perplexing  wilderness  his  own  views,  and  disdain  to  rest 


ON  SCRIPTURE.  79 

content  with  what  are  termed  general  views, — those  ordinary 
tracks  through  the  field  of  knowledge,  which  have  been  trod- 
den bare  by  twice  ten  thousand  minds  before. 

To  the  formation  of  a  character  so  requisite,  there  are  many 
obstacles  opposed,  and  by  far  the  most  serious,  we  see,  are 
those  which  spring-  up  in  the  very  field  of  knowledge  itself. 
The  deceitfulness  of  the  ground,  indeed,  is  proverbial,  and 
the  more  we  become  acquainted  with  it,  the  more  we  per- 
ceive the  necessity  of  keeping  a  guard  upon  every  step.  Yet 
it  is  daily  entered  without  the  least  foresight  or  precaution, 
as  if  there  were  a  single  spot  in  the  regions  of  body  or  mind 
which  the  great  adversary  had  not  beset  with  his  stumbling- 
blocks. 

One  character  ill-suited  for  this  study,  is  he  who  has  been 
allured  to  the  wide  field  of  general  knowledge,  which  is 
spread  before  him  in  such  imposing  extent  and  pleasing  va- 
riety. The  allurement  having  been  his  own  gratification, 
whether  of  indolent  amusement  or  of  selfish  vanity,  he  enters 
it  under  a  baneful  influence ;  for  in  every  pursuit  it  is  the  ob- 
ject which  gives  it  its  character,  and  rewards  it  with  a  bless- 
ing or  a  curse.  Such  a  person,  therefore,  flies  from  pursuit 
to  pursuit,  as  the  drone  from  flower  to  flower,  without  gather- 
ing honey.  In  course  of  time,  his  mind,  habituated  every 
where,  from  want  of  leisurely  investigation,  to  gratuitous 
assumption,  grows  insensible  to  the  force  of  proof:  by 
neglecting  the  proper  means  of  forming  its  own  views,  and  pass- 
ively borrowing  those  of  others,  its  independence  is  broken, 
its  stability  destroyed,  its  native  vigour  and  straight  forward 
ingenuity  is  lost.  Loose  and  desultory  habits  come  in  the  place 
of  single-minded,  persevering  industry;  judgment  is  per- 
verted, perception  confused,  memory  ill-arranged  and  treach- 
erous ;  and  an  overweening  vanity  which  mistakes  for  talent 
its  slavish  docility,  which  decries  as  the  food  of  plodding 
dulness,  tliat  detail  which  itself  has  neither  sincerity  to  ap- 
preciate, nor  powers  of  attention  to  master,  nor  vigour  of 
faculties  to  digest, — this  fills  up  the  measure  of  the  curse  of 
barrenness,  with  which  God  ever  visits  the  abuse  of  his  gifts. 
What  then  has  such  a  person  to  do  with  a  book  demanding 
such'large  endowments  of  qualities  which  he  possesses  not, 
and  the  spirit  of  which,  above  all,  recoils  from  the  unholy 
apprehension  of  falsehood  and  vanity ;  breathing,  as  it  does, 
meekness  and  lowliness,  gentleness  and  unwearied  patience, 
from  every  page  1 


80  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

Ill-suited,  likewise,  is  another  character,  in  many  respects 
opposed  to  the  last.  He  who  has  hung-  over  the  treasures  of 
ancient  literature  with  that  exclusive  attention,  that  he  has 
imhibed  its  proud  and  intolerant  spirit,  so  that  every  other 
literature  appears  rude  and  barbarous,  and,  above  all,  that 
book  whose  spirit  throughout  is  opposed  both  to  the  style  of 
his  favourite  poets,  the  maxims  of  his  favourite  philosophers, 
the  characters  of  his  favourite  worthies.  Hence  is  that  book 
but  too  frequently  overlooked  by  men  who  have  devoted  their 
time  and  talents  to  this  department  of  learning.  And  even 
when  it  is  taken  up,  the  profit  is  often  far  less  to  such  persons 
than  to  other  men.  From  having-  contracted  their  field  of 
view,  and  neglected  the  healthy  supplies  to  the  mind  from 
the  world  without,  and  also  from  the  license  of  conjecture 
indulged  in  such  a  study,  these  men  are  apt  to  carry  to  the 
Holy  Volume  a  spirit  little  agreeable  to  it.  They  have  not 
sufficient  reverence  for  its  authority ;  they  are  arbitrary  both 
in  the  reception  of  the  text,  and  in  their  interpretation  of  it ; 
and  are,  above  all  men,  liable  to  the  disease  of  an  irregulated 
imagination.  Nothing,  indeed,  can  be  more  arbitrary  in  its 
choice  than  this,  and  nothing  more  exclusive  when  it  has 
chosen.  If  it  will  fix  upon  the  brilliant  and  vast  for  the  room 
which  it  gives  to  its  extravagance,  it  will  also  choose  the  tri- 
fling for  the  indulgence  of  the  pride  of  creation;  for  there  it 
experiences  the  consciousness  of  its  own  powers  displayed  in 
the  magnitude  to  which,  by  the  gorgeous  dress  laid  on,  it  has 
swollen  an  object  so  insignificant.  All  between,  which  in- 
cludes the  golden  mean  of  calm  and  sober  dignity,  is  over- 
looked and  despised.  It  comes,  therefore,  but  ill  prepared  to 
the  simple  language,  the  sober  dignity,  and  unaffected  good 
sense  of  the  Holy  Text.  By  capriciously  laying  undue  stress 
on  particular  points  of  the  detail,  and  not  giving  every  part 
its  due  weight,  so  that  all  shall  be  in  harmonious  equipoise, 
it  forms  a  tottering  edifice  of  belief,  of  discordant  parts  and 
proportions,  and  distorted  in  a  multitude  of  ways  from  the 
features  of  stable  grandeur,  exhibited  by  the  glorious  original, 
the  spiritual  Temple  of  God. 

A  third  character  also  ill-qualified  to  approach  the  Holy 
Volume,  with  the  due  correctness  and  proper  information,  is 
he  who  h-as  never  extended  his  serious  pursuit  of  knowledge 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  exact  sciences.  He  is  too  apt 
to  confound  the  nature  of  moral  and  abstract  truth,  which  in 
this  instance  are  particularly  opposed ;  in  the  latter  case  a 


ON   SCRIPTURE.  SI 

general  truth  having  been  discovered,  all  the  detail  included 
under  it  is  also  in  our  power,  whenever  we  choose  to  apply 
it ;  the  proposition,  retained  in  memory,  involves  all  that  it 
did  when  first  discerned ;  it  loses  nothing  of  force,  and  lies 
ever  ready  for  immediate  application  in  all  its  original  extent. 
In  the  former  case  all  this  is  reversed  :  in  order  to  obtain  the 
general  truth,  we  must  have  mastered  the  detail  of  which  it  is 
the  result,  and  so  far  from  the  recollection  of  the  general 
truth  giving  us  the  means  of  working  out  at  any  time  the  de- 
tail, its  impression  on  the  mind  will  be  correct  only  in  propor- 
tion to  the  quantity  of  detail  retained  with  it,  and  to  the  fresh- 
ness with  which  each  particular  is  remembered.  Hence,  to 
keep  up  this  general  proposition  in  the  memory,  we  must  be 
continually  repairing  the  loss  of  detail  which  the  infirmity  of 
our  memory  is  continually  letting  drop ;  and  this  detail  is 
acquired  and  maintained  also  not  only  by  the  powers  of  the 
head,  but  also  by  the  feelings  of  the  heart,  the  former  of 
which  were  alone  consulted  in  the  preceding  case,  but  the 
latter  are  principal  here.  Hence,  also,  this  detail  is  slow  of 
acquirement,  for  while  the  understanding  is  to  the  mind  as  the 
sight  to  the  body,  informing  it  at  a  single  glance  ;  the  heart 
is  as  the  touch,  informing  it  by  the  slow  and  successive  ap- 
plication of  parts,  and  its  lesson  comes  upon  it  by  the  gradual 
process  of  page  on  page,  letter  on  letter,  line  on  line.  In 
Scripture  this  is  most  especially  the  case,  since  there  the 
doctrine  is  mixed  with  a  body  of  facts  upon  which  it  is  de- 
pendant ;  and  each  fact,  on  every  fresh  application  to  it,  will 
not  only  revive  former  feelings,  but  also  occasion  new,  so  that 
"vve  cannot  pronounce  at  any  moment,  without  the  most  gross 
self-delusion,  that  we  are  masters  of  Scriptural  detail.  Our 
whole  life  can  but  accumulate  it,  never  complete  its  store. 

From  his  confounding  then  these  two  species  of  truth, 
such  a  character  is  too  much  inclined  to  undervalue  the  dif- 
ficulties attending  the  reception  of  religious  truth,  and  also  to 
be  blind  to  the  necessity  of  a  constant  recurrence  to  the  writ- 
ten word  of  God.  He  is  too  apt  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
general  notions  which  he  has  of  its  doctrine,  and  which  he 
has  derived  through  an  imperfect  channel,  considering  them 
to  give  him  possession  of  the  results  of  the  detail  of  the  Holy 
Volume,  into  which,  as  into  a  set  of  subordinate  truths,  they 
are  resolvable  at  pleasure.  He  forgets  the  principal  and  pe- 
culiar province  of  the  heart,  or  recoils  from  its  tardy  mode  of 
acquirement ;  thus  not  only  have  his  habits  of  thinking  dis- 
H  2 


82  ON  SCRIPTURE. 

inclined  him  from  the  proper  and  minute  study  of  Scripture, 
but  he  is  not  so  much  as  aware  of  its  supreme  necessity. 

These  cases,  to  which  more  might  have  been  added,  have 
been  stated  as  briefly  and  generally  as  possible ;  and,  as  all 
general  cases  must  be,  pushed  to  their  extremes.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  qualify  them  here,  or  give  them  more  practical 
substance.  They  form  three  great  classes,  to  which,  either 
single  or  combined,  w^e  may  refer  all  imperfect  believers ; 
and  certainly  few,  if  any,  of  those  w^ho  have  tasted  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  liberal  education,  and  paid  proper  attention  to  the 
internal  operations  of  their  ov/n  minds,  can  fail  to  have  de- 
tected in  his  own  bosom,  at  some  period  or  other,  the  ele- 
ments of  each.  They  must  have  experienced  the  strong 
temptation  of  a  wide  field  of  knowledge ;  they  must  have 
indulged,  like  the  child  who  presses  his  closed  eyes,  in  the 
brilliant  and  gorgeous  hues  of  the  imagination ;  they  must 
have  felt  the  power  of  philosophical  generalization.  Happy 
they !  if  they  shall  have  been  enabled  to  keep  down  each 
element  in  due  and  healthful  subordination. 

These  cases  are  sufficient  for  the  point  in  hand,  which  was 
to  show  the  more  prominent  obstacles  which  the  pursuit  it- 
self of  knowledge  throws  in  the  way  of  the  study  of  Scrip- 
ture, rendering  more  rare  than  perhaps  is  generally  thought, 
and  certainly  than  could  be  desired,  the  character  which  was 
laid  down  for  its  earnest  and  improving  student. 

But  it  would  be  strange  indeed  if  the  cultivated  mind  were 
not  exposed  to  increased  difficulties  and  obnoxious  to  greater 
perils ;  the  extension  of  any  sphere  of  good  is  (alas  !  for  our 
corrupt  nature)  necessarily  that  also  of  the  evil  with  which  it 
is  so  intimately  mixed  up  ;  and  the  Giver  of  all  good  things, 
as  he  bestows  not  his  gifts  in  vain,  would  depart  from  his 
established  economy  of  the  world,  if  he  did  not  accompany 
them  with  corresponding  trials  to  call  forth  and  perfect  their 
due  exercise;  therefore  the  cultivated  mind  dwells  in  the 
midst  of  perils,  and,  like  the  intruder  into  power,  cannot  re- 
main with  impunity  where  it  is.  It  must  neither  tarry  nor 
sleep  :  conspiracies  of  the  powers  of  darkness  are  around 
it,  which,  as  they  grow  more  threatening,  it  must  surmount 
by  going  on  to  greater  and  still  greater  power,  until  it  attain 
that  sovereign  unassailable  power  which  is  conferred  by  the 
knowledge  of  the  word  of  God.  There  alone  is  its  resting- 
place,  there  alone  its  throne,  whence  it  can  behold  its  enemies 
in  subjection  beneath  its  footstool. 


ON  SCRIPTURE.  83 

A  sovereign  power,  indeed,  is  that  knowledge  to  which  all 
other  knowledge  must  administer  but  as  a  loyal  subject;  for 
all  other,  however  brilliant  in  appearance,  however  vast  in 
extent,  however  useful  in  means,  yet,  if  it  be  independent 
of  this,  terminates  but  in  the  mortal  body.  This  is  the  foun- 
tain of  honour  to  them  all ;  yet  (such  is  the  perversity  of  hu- 
man nature)  as  God  is  forgotten  for  his  angels  and  saints  by 
the  weak  and  superstitious,  so  is  this  forgotten  for  its  servants 
by  the  wise  of  this  world. 

Great,  overpower! ngly  great,  is  the  responsibility  of  those  to 
whom  God  hath  assigned  the  blessed  gifts  of  talents  to  learn, 
and  of  leisure  and  opportunity  of  learning.  The  aid  which 
they  can  bring  to  the  cause  of  religious  truth  is  manifest,  but 
the  harm  which  their  apathy  (to  say  nothing  of  their  opposi- 
tion) can  effect  is  too  little  considered ;  here,  indeed,  our 
Lord  may  more  especially  exclaim,  "  Who  is  not  with  me  is 
against  me."  On  the  unthinking,  and  on  such  as  are  guided 
by  the  examples  around  them,  (and  how  large  a  portion  of 
society  is  this,)  is  it  necessary  to  state  the  effect  of  indiffer- 
ence to  God's  word,  shown  by  men  looked  up  to  for  power  of 
talent  and  extent  of  information  1  When  they  see  that  all 
the  treasures  of  knowledge  have  been  ransacked  but  this,  see 
all  subjects  eagerly  discussed  but  this,  find  all  books  pain- 
fully marked  and  noted  but  this  ;  can  they  do  otherwise  than 
learn  to  treat  this  volume  with  disrespect, — to  reckon  it  dull 
and  uninviting,  mean  and  homely,  a  book  for  the  vulgar  ] 
But  even  such  treatment  is  less  injurious,  such  silence  less 
pernicious,  than  the  levity  of  discussion  with  which  it  is 
sometimes  entertained  by  persons  of  reputation  for  human 
wisdom.  Unwilling,  in  their  ostentatious  display,  and  pre- 
tension to  all  knowledge,  to  appear  quite  ignorant  of  this, 
they  will  subject  it  to  the  same  superficial  means  of  acquire- 
ment, and  With  the  same  careless  levity,  as  they  treat  the 
ephemeral  productions  of  the  day,  which  serve  for  subjects  of 
conversation.  Hence  its  awful  truths  are  discussed  with  a 
licentious  laxity  of  opinion,  the  debaters  seeking  effect,  and 
not  conviction,  and  putting  together  in  wrong,  if  not  para- 
doxical and  fantastic  combinations,  such  detached  passages 
as  happen,  amid  their  careless  hearing  or  reading  of  the 
word,  to  have  solicited  and  retained  upon  their  memory. 
The  opinions  of  such  men  on  religion,  worthless  (to  say  the 
least)  as  they  are,  unfortunately  exercise  much  influence  on 
that  large  class  which  look  up  to  men  of  literary  character  as 


84  ON  SCRIPTURE. 

to  infallible  guides  in  every  department.  It  were  better  for 
such  to  hold  their  tongue  for  ever  upon  this  awful  subject, 
than  to  rush  into  it  without  a  knowledge  conscientiously 
sought,  and  therefore  correctly  attained. 

Some  scholars,  some  men  of  character  for  all  the  attainments 
of  human  knowledge,  embraced  the  faith  of  Jesus  even  in  the 
earlier  days  of  the  gospel.  Such  was  probably  Dionysius  the 
Areopagite,  and  such  certainly  was  Justin  Martyr.  Let  us, 
who  have  revelled,  as  they  also  had  done,  on  the  feast  of  li- 
terature, consider  the  frame  of  mind  which  led  them  in  the 
end  to  make  the  inestimable  preference  of  the  word  of  God. 
Their  faculties  had  not  been  abused  and  dissipated  by  frivo- 
lous and  heartless  pursuit  of  superficial  knowledge;  they 
had  not  been  dulled  by  indolence  of  light  reading,  nor  per- 
verted by  vanity,  but  had  been  maintained  in  all  liveliness  of 
health  and  vigour,  so  that  the  mind,  having  its  natural  sway, 
should  pursue  its  legitimate  objects.  It  must  have  had  quick 
all  its  native  curiosity,  all  its  candour,  its  love  of  truth,  all 
its  energy  of  pursuit,  all  its  singleness  of  view.  Such  quali- 
ties (and  let  us  ever  bear  this  in  mind)  it  must  have  brought 
to  that  investigation,  which  God  has  ordained  to  be  its  no- 
blest exercise,  the  investigation  of  his  attributes  ;  and  to  this 
end  also  it  must  have  habitually  practised  temperance,  to  keep 
itself  in  vigour ;  prudence,  to  direct  its  exertions  by  the 
shortest  and  surest  way;  fortitude,  to  keep  its  own  unswerv- 
ing course,  undiverted  by  the  authority  of  names ;  adding  to 
them  all,  patience  to  endure,  perseverance  to  pursue,  hope  to 
attain.  To  such  a  mind  spoke  St.  Paul  at  Athens,  and  be- 
yond all  our  powers  of  conception  must  have  been  the  effect. 
Let  us  imagine  a  treasure  long  sought,  under  a  hope,  indeed, 
but  not  assurance,  of  its  existence,  to  be  at  last  found ;  a 
grief  long  suffered  to  be  turned  into  joy  ;  darkness  long  and 
thick  to  be  suddenly  changed  into  uninterrupted  light;  life  to 
be  given  for  death.  So  came  upon  these  primitive  scholars 
the  tidings  of  salvation  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  shall  not  we, 
their  successors  in  both  fields  of  knowledge ;  we,  in  whom  the 
order  has  been  reversed,  who  knew  the  sound  of  the  word  of 
God  long  before  the  dictates  of  the  philosopher,  or  the  tale  of 
the  poet ;  who  never  knew  what  real  darkness  was,  any  more 
than  he  who  at  will  retires  for  a  short  time  into  a  cavern  from 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  in  order  to  enjoy  them  again  in  greater 
effect  of  warmth  and  brilliancy, — shall  not  we  maintain  with 
equal  sense  of  its  value,  with  equal  joy  and.saiisfaction,  the 


ON  SCRIPTURE.  85 

inestimable  gift?  Shall  not  we,  who  all  our  life  long-,  both 
in  ourselves  and  in  others,  have  been  experiencing  its  blessed 
effects,  maintain  our  profession  as  zealously  as  they  chose  it  ] 
O  what  a  state  of  condemnation  would  ours  be,  if,  in  contrast 
to  those  learned  men  of  old,  who  changed  the  philosopher  for 
the  Christian,  we  should  exchange  the  Christian  for  the  phi- 
losopher. God  forbid  such  a  termination.  Let  us  diligently 
provide  against  the  slightest  probability  of  it. 

A  tendency  to  this  result  belongs  to  mature  age.  But 
there  are  many  here  present  who  have  still  the  great  part  of 
their  course  before  them.  They  are  at  that  period  of  life, 
when  it  is  enjoyed  to  all  its  measure  of  fulness  ;  when  the 
experience  is  common  of  those  blissful  moments,  in  which, 
from  health  of  body  and  lightness  of  heart,  the  bare  animal 
existence  is  felt  as  an  inestimable  blessing.  What  feelings 
then,  let  me  ask  of  them,  can  they  conceive  as  attending  the 
consciousness  of  existence  of  a  mind  fresh  in  spiritual  health, 
and  full  of  the  glad  assurance  of  immortality  1  How  joyous, 
how  divine !  Such  a  sense  is  conferred  by  the  word  of  God : 
thus  its  knowledge  bestows  the  blissful  feelings  of  eternal 
youth  upon  the  mind.  Let  the  recurrence  and  the  remem- 
brance of  such  moments  serve  to  bring  the  analogy  to  view, 
and  accustom  them  to  appreciate  the  exceeding  value  of  this 
heavenly  gift.  This  (let  them  bear  ever  in  mind)  is  the 
one  thing,  without  which  all  knowledge  at  the  best  is  use- 
less, and  may  be  most  pernicious.  For  knowledge,  though 
indeed  a  glorious,  a  powerful  instrument,  yet  like  all  mere 
human  acquisitions,  is  in  itself  but  a  brute  weapon,  depend- 
ing, for  its  effect  of  good  or  evil,  upon  the  mind  of  the 
employer,  and  may  be  used  in  felling  God's  cedars  on 
Libanus,  when  it  should  be  hewing  down  the  groves  of 
Baal. 

Let  them,  then,  remembering  their  Creator  in  the  days  of 
their  youth,  dedicate  to  the  study  of  his  life-giving  word  the 
freshness  of  the  morning  of  their  days :  even  now,  in  this 
their  day,  while  the  heart  is  yet  plastic  and  unperverted,  still 
in  healthy  communion  with  the  head  ;  while  the  mental  vision 
is  yet  clear;  while  the  power  of  observation  is  yet  fresh  and 
keen  of  edge, — of  attention  yet  undistracted,  of  memory  yet 
retentive.  On  the  suitable  employment  of  these  mental  gifts, 
depends  not  only  their  native  health  and  masculine  vigour  of 
mind,  but  the  power  of  appreciating  divine  truth  is  concerned, 
the  welfare  of  their  immortal  souls  is  at  stake.     Let  them, 


86  ON   SCRIPTURE. 

therefore,  together  with  the  blessing',  consider  the  responsi- 
bility also  of  the  gift  which  God  has  conferred  upon  them  in 
a  liberal  education;  and  as  they  gaze  upon  the  wide  and 
spirit-stirring  prospect  which  he  has  thus  unveiled  to  them, 
and  feel  the  firmness  of  grasp,  and  the  extent  of  power,  with 
which  he  has  thus  endowed  their  understanding,  let  them 
resolve  to  render  unto  him  who  gave,  the  first  fruits  of  their 
harvest.  With  the  Word  of  God  let  them  begin,  and  with 
the  full  blessing  of  the  Word  of  God  they  shall  end.  The 
right  understanding,  the  unreserved  acceptance  of  this,  let 
them  ever  keep  in  view;  and,  looking  steadfastly  to  the  end, 
cheerfully  enter  upon  the  labour  of  detail,  accustoming  their 
minds,  in  all  conscientiousness,  to  that  patience  which  alone 
can  produce  a  perfect  work,  or  attain  a  precious  object.  For 
without  the  substantial  support  of  a  full  body  of  well-can- 
vassed facts,  reason  will  decline  into  barren  speculation, 
imagination  will  degenerate  into  idle  dreaming.  Let  theirs 
be  the  patience  of  that  wise  king  of  yore,  who  built  the  tem- 
ple of  the  living  God  ;  and,  laying  fact  upon  fact,  as  it  were 
stone  upon  stone,  let  them,  like  good  spiritual  masons,  grad- 
ually raise  and  combine  their  views,  until  all  shall  grow  in 
harmonious  proportions  of  strength  and  beauty  into  a  goodly 
temple,  aptly  fitted  together.  In  such  a  temple  only  of  the 
mind  will  scriptural  truth  deign  to  dwell ;  and  it  will  dwell, 
and  fill  the  whole  house  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 


87 


DISSERTATION  VI. 


ON    SACRIFICE. 


The  next  day  John  seeth  Jesus  coming  unto  htm,  and  satth. 
Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world. — John  i.  29. 

It  is  difRcult  to  conceive  how  any  one,  who  believes  in  the 
atonement  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  can  consider  sacrifice  to 
be  of  any  other  than  divine  institution :  the  Jewish  sacrifices, 
and  more  especially  that  of  the  Lamb,  are  continually  appealed 
to  in  the  New  Testament  as  foreshadowing  the  offering  of  his 
body  upon  the  cross.  But  these  are  but  the  continuation, 
under  certain  qualifications,  of  a  rite  which  can  be  traced  up 
to  the  immediate  sons  of  Adam.  Now  had  it  been  the  inven- 
tion of  Adam,  or  of  these  his  sons,  and  had  so  spread  through 
all  their  descendants,  as  to  become  an  universal  means  of 
worshipping  God, — which  last  we  know  to  have  been  the 
fact, — would  God,  when  he  took  so  much  pains  to  separate 
the  children  of  Israel  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  keep 
them  far  away  from  the  abominations  of  the  Heathen,  have 
maintained  among  them  a  rite  which,  beyond  every  other, 
was  universally  held  with  the  grossest  notions,  and  practised 
with  the  vilest  abominations  1  Would  he,  had  it  contained 
nothing  more  than  what  the  carnal  mind  of  man  could  impart 
to  it,  have  suffered  among  his  chosen  people  this  stepping- 
stone  to  the  horrible  depravities  and  uncleanness  of  the  sacri- 
ficers  to  Moloch,  and  to  Baal  1  Would  he  have  taken  out  of 
the  hands  of  man  a  rite  which  his  creature  had  invented  under 
gross  conceptions,  (for  blood-shedding,  as  conceived  by  him- 
self, could  not  be  otherwise,)  and  abused  to  his  deepest  moral 
degradation ; — would  he  have  adopted  this  as  the  vehicle  and 
type  of  the  greatest  and  purest  of  moral  blessings,  even  of 


88  ON  SACRIFICE. 

the  atonement  of  his  only  begotton  son? — or  viewing-  it  even 
in  the  highest  light  which  it  will  thus  bear,  namely,  as  an 
act  of  will-worship  of  the  first  man,  conceived  in  his  purest 
thoughts ;  is  it  consonant  with  due  notions  of  the  Almighty 
to  suppose  that  God,  by  a  second  thought  as  it  were,  imparted 
to  this  act  a  meaning  which  he  himself  had  previously  reveal- 
ed, but  without  making  any  provision  for  thus  embodying 
and  continuing  it?  It  must  be  some  strong  prejudice  indeed 
which  should  make  us  espouse  a  supposition  clogged  with 
such  difficulties,  and  reject  one  which  immediately  brings  all 
into  harmony.  But  if  we  proceed  in  our  examination,  we 
shall  see  that  such  a  means  of  worshipping  God  never  could 
of  itself  have  entered  into  the  minds  of  the  persons  who  are 
represented  as  having  first  employed  it. 

The  occasions  on  w^hich  man  approaches  God,  may  be  re- 
duced to  two : — he  comes  before  him  with  his  offering,  either 
to  thank  him  for  past  mercies,  and  to  implore  their  continu- 
ance, or  to  ask  pardon  for  past  offences,  and  deprecate  pun- 
ishment. But  however  we  may  in  thought  separate  these 
occasions,  yet,  in  the  worship  of  a  fallen  creature  like  man, 
they  must  ever  be  combined ;  the  offering,  therefore,  which  he 
brings  must  be  considered  in  the  twofold  light  of  a  gift,  and 
a  ransom :  of  a  gift,  as  the  natural  expression  of  thanksgiving 
and  homage  to  him  who  gave,  and  can  give  more,  who  is  the 
ruler  and  maker  of  all  things :  of  a  ransom,  to  him  to  whom 
his  life  hath  been  forfeited  by  transgression,  to  him  whose 
holy  nature  cannot  endure  the  least  unholiness,  and  who  can 
take  away  no  less  than  give.  Considering  it  then  as  a  gift, 
we  find  it  hard  to  reconcile  this  meaning  with  the  very  inade- 
quate notions  which  the  first  sacrificer  (who  could  not  be 
later  than  Cain  or  Abel)  must  necessarily  have  had,  both 
with  regard  to  its  nature  and  efficacy ;  such  a  meaning  surely 
supposes  a  stage  of  society  much  advanced  beyond  his.  Let 
this  point,  however,  be  granted ;  we  have  next  to  ask  how 
he  could  conceive  a  slaughtered  beast  to  be  a  gift? — to  us, 
habituated  to  animal  food,  the  idea  is  not  so  incongruous. 
But  how  could  men  not  allowed  the  use  of  such  food,  thus 
conceive  of  it  ?  How  could  Noah,  (to  come  lower  down 
still,)  who  offered  his  sacrifice  upon  his  deliverance,  imagine 
that  he  was  thus  presenting  a  gift?  How,  when  death  was 
an  idea  so  exceedingly  abhorrent  to  the  mind  of  the  first  sacri- 
ficer, could  he  dare  in  the  very  first  instance  to  put  an  animal 
to  death ;  much  more  to  present  it  as  an  acceptable  gift  to  a 


ON  SACRIFICE.  89 

being  of  those  attributes  which  his  yet  unadulterated  creed 
acknowledged  1  The  same  objections  are  fatal  to  its  being 
considered  as  a  ransom ;  and  to  these  we  may  add  the  impos- 
sibility of  supposing  that  a  man's  reason  could  induce  him  to 
conceive  that  the  life  of  another  could  be  any  substitute  for 
his  own,  except  by  express  compact  between  the  parties  of- 
fending and  offended ;  still  less  could  it  go  a  step  farther, 
and  make  the  life  of  an  irrational  animal  that  substitute. 

But  if  we  suppose  him  to  have  sacrificed  on  the  express  in- 
junction of  God,  every  thin^  is  clear.  Humbly  acknow- 
ledging that  he  had  forfeited  life  and  light  by  his  transgression, 
deeply  thankful  for  God's  merciful  pardon,  he  would  joyfully 
accept  (although  he  could  not  of  himself  have  devised)  this 
lively  mode  of  expressing  both  his  confession  and  thanks- 
giving— the  more  lively  from  its  repugnance  to  law  and  feel- 
ing ;  and  when  once  revealed,  sacrifice  so  adapts  itself  to 
every  turn  of  man's  feelings  towards  a  superior  being,  that  it 
would  survive  the  wreck  of  every  other  portion  of  God's 
church.  For  since  the  notions  formed  of  God  by  impure  and 
gross  minds,  are  also  gross  and  impure,  the  offering  of  blood 
and  of  meats  would  be  a  suitable  expression  of  their  homage 
or  deprecation  to  the  lustful,  capricious,  and  cruel  beings, 
whom  their  corrupt  imaginations  had  set  upon  the  throne  of 
heaven.  Thus  it  would  be  maintained  (though  under  a  very 
different  view)  no  less  by  the  apostate  than  by  the  believer, 
by  the  Heathen  than  by  the  Jew.  And  its  universal  preva- 
lence proves  no  more,  than  that  it  is  one  of  those  instances 
where  man  can  turn  to  the  accouut  of  his  own  corrupt  pas- 
sions the  will  of  God,  as  declared  by  his  revealed  word,  no 
less  than  as  expressed  by  the  voice  of  nature. 

We  conclude,  therefore,  that  this  prominent  feature  in 
God's  Church,  was  expressly  ordained  by  him,  who  designed 
from  the  first  to  sum  up  all  in  Christ  (Ephes.  i.  10,)  both  in 
heaven  and  in  earth,  and  that  any  other  account  of  its  origin  is 
equally  inconsistent  with  the  original  notions  of  man,  and  with 
the  harmony  of  divine  revelation. 

Hence,  sacrifice  embodied  to  man  the  circumstances  of 
God's  first  intervention  with  him  after  he  had  sinned ;  it  was 
both  a  history  and  a  prophecy ;  it  carried  him  back  to  a  lively 
view  of  his  fall  and  condemnation  to  death ;  it  carried  him 
forward  to  a  bright  prospect  of  his  redemption,  both  being 
figured  to  him  by  the  death  of  the  beast,  which  was  slaugh- 
tered before  his  eyes  and  was  accepted  by  God  as  an  offering; 


90  ON   SACRIFICE. 

and  thus  all  its  applications  to  outward  circumstances, 
throughout  all  ages  of  the  church,  are  referable  to  two  heads. 
It  is  on  the  part  of  man,  the  offerer,  either  a  confession  of  sin, 
or  an  oblation  of  thanksgiving :  it  is  on  the  part  of  God,  the 
acceptor,  a  correspondent  remission  of  the  sin,  or  an  accept- 
ance of  the  offering,  implying  a  continuance  or  furtherance 
of  blessings.  And  as  prophecy,  in  reaching  to  its  grand  and 
final  object,  becomes  applicable  upon  its  way  to  many  subor- 
dinate objects,  so  sacrifice  (which  is  indeed  a  species  of 
prophecy)  is  applicable  to  all  circumstances  which  are  sub- 
ordinate to,  and  contained  in,  the  one  great  deliverance  from 
everlasting  perdition.  Accordingly  we  find,  both  in  the 
Patriarchal  and  Jewish  Church,  sacrifices  of  propitiation  both 
for  moral  and  bodily  impurities,  and  sacrifices  of  thanksgiving 
for  any  great  success  or  sigaal  deliverance ;  so  Job  sacrificed 
for  his  sons  lest  they  should  have  thought  evil  in  their  hearts; 
so  Noah  sacrificed  on  his  deliverance  from  the  flood.  To  a 
mind,  steadfast  in  holy  hope,  every  chance  and  change  of  life 
will  serve  to  bring  the  great  end  in  view ;  and  sacrifice,  there- 
fore, will  convey  the  expression  of  its  feelings,  be  they  of 
abasement  or  exultation,  whether  it  acknowledge  its  worthi- 
ness of  condemnation,  or  its  unworthiness  of  redemption. 

The  occasional  sacrifices  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament, 
mostly  concern,  as  would  be  likely  from  the  recorded  events 
which  called  them  forth,  the  whole    Church  of  God.     Such 
is  the  sacrifice  of  Abel,  who,  although  dead,  yet  speaketh : 
such  is  that  of  Noah,  when  he  re-built  the  Church  of  God 
after  the  flood :  such  is  that  of  Solomon,  when  he  dedicated 
the  Temple  of  God.     And  since  sacrifice  was  also  the  cove- 
nanted channel  of  communication  between  God  and  man,  we 
find  that  some  particular  sacrifice  forms  the  link  between  the 
successive  stages  of  the  church.     The  offering  of  Isaac,  upon 
which  God  promised  Abraham  a  posterity  numerous  as  the 
stars  in  heaven  or  sand  on  the  sea  shore,  and  that  in  his  seed 
all  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed,  connects   imme- 
diately the    Patriarchal  with  the  Jewish  Church,  and  draws 
cords  of  relation  to  the  Christian.   .  A  particular  celebration 
of  the  Jewish  Passover,  connects  the  Jewish  with  the  Chris- 
tian :  for  at  this  our  Lord  not  only  instituted  the  sacrament  of 
his  body  and  blood,  which  should  supersede  that  Jewish  rite, 
but  also,  yielding  up   his  breath  at  the  very  hour  of  evening 
sacrifice,  combined  the  type  and  the  reality,  the  shadow  and 
the  substance,  the  former  and  the  latter  days 


ON  SACRIFICE.  91 

We  have  said  that  sacrifice  was  prophecy  in  a  bodily- 
shape  :  it  follows  also  the  same  law  of  expanding  clearness 
of  meaning-,  by  means  of  narrowing  limitation  of  application, 
which  we  saw  was  observed  by  the  other,  in  passing  through 
the  Jewish  dispensation.  As  a  national  offering,  it  was  limited 
to  a  number  of  particular  cases,  each  sending  forth  from  many 
mouths  a  loud  prophetic  voice,  as  the  stated  daily  sacrifice, 
the  Feast  of  the  Passover,  the  day  of  atonement.  As  a  pri- 
vate offering  it  met  a  number  of  stated  cases  of  impurity, 
which,  going  to  the  very  bodily  condition  of  the  person,  even 
to  the  meats  which  he  ate,  reminded  the  Jew  of  his  natural 
unholiness,  his  conventional  holiness.  Thus  restored  to  pu- 
rity, he  typified  bodily  the  spirit  elect  of  God,  of  whom  his 
Son  should  in  the  latter  days  compose  his  church,  having 
made  them  clean  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  own  body ;  and  as- 
suredly this  solemn  and  striking  rite,  being  thrust  upon  his 
continual  attention,  must  have  prepared  the  serious  thinker  to 
look  beyond  the  letter,  and  seek  for  the  spirit.  It  became 
also  still  more  pointed  to  its  object,  by  being  confined  to  the 
tabernacle,  and  by  the  varying  place  of  that  tabernacle  being 
at  last  fixed  at  Jerusalem,  after  the  temple  had  been  built. 
And  just  as  the  promise  of  the  Redeemer  was  generally  nar- 
rowed from  the  whole  family  of  mankind,  from  the  seed  of 
Abraham,  from  that  of  Isaac,  from  that  of  Jacob,  from  the 
tribe  of  Judah  down  to  the  house  of  David ;  so,  in  this  analo- 
gous rite,  his  representative,  the  High  Priest,  was  gradually 
taken  from  a  narrower  range, — from  the  first  born  of  man- 
kind, from  the  nation  of  the  Jews,  from  the  tribe  of  Levi, 
from  the  family  of  Aaron.  Thus  significantly  converging 
through  successive  stages  from  many  quarters  to  one  end, 
sacrifice,  receiving  its  substance  in  the  death  of  our  Redeemer, 
closed  for  ever  its  shadowy  representations. 

But  as  prophecy,  though  it  received  its  grand  fulfilment  as 
far  as  man  looked  for,  in  the  coming  of  the  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ,  and  had  become  history,  yet  took  up  a  new  strain  at 
this  point,  and  turned  all  eyes  towards  his  second  coming  in 
glory  to  judge  both  the  quick  and  the  dead,  as  the  end  of  all 
things  :  so  sacrifice,  although  it  received  its  full  accomplish- 
ment in  the  death  of  our  Redeemer,  by  whom  it  was  once 
offered  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  past,  present,  and  to 
come,  and  therefore,  as  a  rite,  is  virtually  extinct ;  yet  has 
had  its  place  supplied  in  God's  church  by  an  ordinance, 
which  is  both  historically  commemorative,  and  at  the  same 


92  ON  SACRIFICE. 

time  prophetically  assuring.  THis  is  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  supper,  in  which  we  not  only  commemorate  his  death 
and  passion,  but  also  look  forward  to  his  coming-  again.  And 
although  it  be,  as  we  have  said,  no  real  sacrifice,  yet,  inas- 
much as  it  is  commemorative,  and  therefore  symbolical,  of 
the  great  sacrifice,  inasmuch  as  the  sign  is  often  called  by  the 
name  of  the  thing  signified,  inasmuch  as  its  included  offerings 
of  prayer,  of  repentance,  of  thanksgiving,  of  charity,  are  each 
of  them  figuratively  designated  by  this  title  in  Scripture,  we 
may  in  common  language  (which  is  never  peculiarly  strict) 
join  with  the  ancient  church  in  calling  it  by  a  term,  which 
brings  at  once  so  many  of  its  relations  to  view.  On  this 
principle  we  will  now  proceed  to  consider  it,  ever  keeping  a 
watchful  eye  upon  its  predecessor. 

First  of  all,  the  hideous  and  appalling  representation  of 
death,  exhibited  to  our  predecessors  in  the  bleeding,  groan- 
ing, and  struggling  victim,  has  been  removed  from  our  eyes. 
Several  reasons  concur  for  this,  all  arising  out  of  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  type.  For  instance ; — the  Patriarch  and  the  Jew 
looked  forward  to  an  obscure  future;  the  prospect  of  their 
deliverance  was  dim  and  distant.  They  required,  therefore, 
a  lively  representation  to  bring  it  near  to  their  minds ;  and  as 
the  ceremony  was  prophetic,  it  was  necessary  that  it  should, 
at  the  moment  of  fulfilment,  confirm  the  truth,  by  the  most 
startling  coincidence  of  the  figure  with  the  reality.  But  to 
us,  living  after  the  fulfilment,  and  therefore  looking  back  to 
one  of  the  clearest  and  most  carefully  detailed  facts  of  his- 
tory, a  resemblance  so  close  were  unnecessary.  It  would 
indeed  be  more  than  unnecessary ;  it  would  be  inexpedient. 
For  the  ceremony,  by  going  so  far  into  reality  as  actual 
death,  would  be  too  strong  an  expression  of  a  fact,  of  which 
we  can  form  a  very  lively  conception  already,  and  a  far  more 
accurate,  also,  than  any  which  could  be  suggested  by  any 
sensible  object.  Hence  we  could  not  but  be  struck  by  some 
disagreement  between  the  sign  and  thing  signified.  At  the 
same  time,  by  going  no  further  than  death,  it  were  mutilated 
and  incomplete  :  it  would  tell  us  but  half  the  truth,  showing,  in- 
deed, the  death  for  our  sins,  but  not  the  resurrection  for  our  jus- 
tification. For  us,  therefore,  it  is  not  only  sufficient,  but  even 
expedient,  that  the  signs  employed  in  our  commemorative  rite 
should  be  as  slight  as  the  mind's  ordinary  powers  can  allow,  and 
more  especially  when  these  signs  have  been  instituted  by  the 
great  Offerer  himself;  since  the  very  circumstance  of  institution 


ON  SACRIFICE.  93 

necessarily  fixes  our  attention  upon  the  event  commemorated ; 
therefore  the  mere  pouring-  out  of  wine  and  breaking  of  bread, 
coupled  with  his  charge  to  continue  this  commemoration  until 
his  coming  again,  are  sufficient  to  lead  our  minds  to  the  cru- 
cifixion of  his  body,  the  shedding  of  his  blood,  and  his  second 
coming  in  glory  to  judge  both  the  quick  and  the  dead.  But 
the  most  important  reason  of  all  is  the  nature  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  It  is  the  proclamation  of  pardon  to  all  mankind, — it 
is  the  declaration  of  the  perfect  love  of  God, — it  is  the  certi- 
fication of  his  wrath  appeased,  and  of  his  justice  satisfied ;  it 
is  the  announcement  of  the  victory  over  death,  and  of  the  life 
everlasting.  Aptly,  therefore,  in  this  rite,  has  the  harsh 
threat  and  open  rebuke  of  death  (which  daily  humbled  the 
Patriarch  and  the  Jew),  been  removed  from  the  eyes  of  the 
celebrator.  For  a  frightful  scene  of  gasps,  and  groans,  and 
bubbling  blood,  has  been  substituted  a  picture  of  overpower- 
ing love — a  representation  of  the  last  supper  of  our  Lord ; 
meat  and  drink,  emblems  of  life  and  joy,  are  set  before  us, 
and  both  signify  and  convey  to  us  the  nourishment  of  ever- 
lasting life,  which  we  have  in  his  body  and  blood :  meat  and 
drink,  not  supplied  from  slaughtered  fellow-creatures,  but  be- 
ing the  untortured  products  of  the  earth.  Thus  the  very 
nature  of  the  elements  which  show  our  Lord's  death,  conveys 
the  assurance  of  the  abolition  of  death  to  ourselves. 

Secondly :  We  saw  that  sacrifice  carried  the  mind  of  the 
offerer  both  backward  and  forward  :  backward,  by  the  death 
of  the  victim,  to  the  sentence  of  death  at  the  fall ;  forward,  by 
God's  acceptance  of  this  substitute,  to  his  restoration.  Alas  ! 
through  what  a  long  and  dreary  interval  did  his  eye  move  to 
reach  this  last  bright  object !  How  weary  and  sickened  did 
his  heart  arrive  at  this  resting-place  !  and,  after  all,  how  faint 
was  that  brightness,  how  unstable  that  resting-place,  com- 
pared with  ours.  Our  rite,  too,  is  both  retrospective  and 
prospective.  But  what  is  our  retrospect  1  not  our  fall,  but 
our  redemption.  And  what  is  our  prospect  1  not  our  redemp- 
tion, but  our  exaltation  to  life  and  light  everlasting,  at  the 
second  coming  of  our  great  God  and  Saviour.  We  begin 
with  historical  certainty  of  fact,  where  he  ended  in  prophetic 
hope :  we  end  with  the  complete  and  glorious  reversal  of  the 
condition  of  misery  and  degradation,  with  which  he  began. 
Thus  we  have  a  bright  and  burning  light  at  each  extreme  of 
view,  and  all  between  is  full  of  joy,  and  peace,  and  comfort. 
"  Oh  Lord,  our  Governor  !  how  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all 
i2 


94  ,  ON   SACRIFICE. 

the  world,"  exclaimed  David,  on  considering  the  glory  of  the 
heavens  :  what  words  would  he  have  found  had  he  been  ad- 
mitted to  this  our  spectacle,  and  gazed  on  the  spiritual  firma- 
ment which  is  expanded  before  our  eyes  ! 

Thirdly :  On  the  same  principle  with  sacrifice,  this  rite  will 
be  an  especial  vehicle  of  confession  and  of  thanksgiving,  on 
the  occasion  of  the  various  incidents  of  life.     These,  be  they 
to  our  pleasure"  or  our  pain,  to  our  encouragement  or  chastise- 
ment, it  is  our  duty  to  point  to  the  great  end  of  our  being,  to 
turn  to  the  account  of  the  life  to  come.     If  we  suffer,  let  us 
take  care  so  to  suffer  as  fellow-sufferers  of  Christ ;  if  we  be 
in  joy,  let  us  be  mindful  so  to  rejoice,  as  joint-heirs  with  him 
in  bliss.     In  either  case,  this  rite,  setting  forth  our  Lord's 
death    and   passion,   and  also  assuring  us  of  his  glorious 
coming   again,  will   be   in   exact   accord  with   our   hearts, 
will  give  them  proper  vent  and  due  expression,  and  with  its 
refreshing  benefits  supply  grace  for  grace ;  therefore,  in  all 
the  grand  interventions  of  life^  hither  let  us  resort, — here  let 
us  seek  the  Lord,  and  we  shall  find  him.     As  surely  as  he 
performed  his  promise  of  meeting  his  disciples  in  Galilee, 
after  his  resurrection  from  death,  so  surely  will  he  meet  us 
here,  and  give  the  blessings  of  his  spiritual  presence.     If  God 
of  old  chose  the  hour  of  sacrifice  of  bulls  and  rams,  in  which 
to  reveal  himself,  and  made  gracious  promises  to  Abraham 
and  Zachariah,  will  he  leave  this  ordinance  fruitless,  in  which 
we  spiritually  partake  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  his  only  begotten  Son  ?     Therefore,  let  him  who  hath  fallen 
into  sickness  or  trouble,  hither  repair,  to  make  confession  of 
his  sins,  and  acknowledge  God's  justice.     He  will  not  have 
come  in  vain  ;  he  shall  have  mercy  for  justice.     Let  him  who 
hath  risen  from  pain  or  sorrow,  here  confess  himself  less 
than  the  least  of  God's  mercies,  yield  his  entire  thanks ;  neither 
shall  he  have  come  in  vain :  his  hope  and  his  joy  shall  be 
chastened  into  that  hope  and  joy  which  can  never  fail.     Let 
those  who  have  lately  joined  their  cares,  their  joys,  their  for- 
tunes, their  affections,  here  make  their  solemn  homage  and 
profession,  as  heads  of  a  new  household  in  the  Church  of 
God ;  neither  shall  they  have  come  in  vain :  God  will  give 
them  grace  to  rear  children  of  grace,  and  they  shall  be  suc- 
ceeded by  heirs  of  promise. 

Fourthly :  Like  sacrifice,  and,  indeed,  every  other  ordi- 
nance of  worship,  this  rite  will  be  one  of  stated  times  and 
seasons.     Now,  if  we  be  bound  to  repair  to  it  whenever  we 


ON  SACRIFICE.  95 

can,  under  whatever  circumstances  of  life,  since  all  (we  have 
seen)  are  peculiarly  met  with  some  appropriate  blessing,  how 
can  we  willing-ly  absent  ourselves  on  fixed  occasions  1  Is  it 
more  difficult  to  prepare  a  due  oblation  of  our  hearts,  because 
we  have  time  at  our  command  1  Are  we  less  peculiarly  cir- 
cumstanced for  the  reception  of  blessings  in  this  sacrament, 
because  we  have  leisure  to  review  beforehand  our  whole  con- 
dition, and  thus  to  find  out  its  chief  bearing?  Does  the 
general  benefit  of  anticipation  meet  here  with  its  single  ex- 
ception"? are  we  less  prepared  when  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health  of  body  and  mind,  and  with  days,  and  even  weeks,  be- 
fore' us,  than  when  surprised  by  sickness  and  dismay,  and 
obliged  desperately  to  snatch  at  opportunity,  ere  it  be  too 
late  1  "  Three  times  a  year  shall  thy  males  appear  before 
me,"  said  the  Lord  God  to  the  Jews,  in  giving  his  ordinances 
of  stern  command  from  the  blazing  mount ;  and,  dispersed  as 
they  were,  they  gathered  before  him  from  every  quarter  of  the 
earth.  "  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me,"  said  our  Divine 
Master  to  his  church,  in  delivering  his  last  charge  of  love  at 
his  last  meal.  What  then  ]  Are  we  less  bounden  than  the 
Jew  1  need  we  pay  less  attention  because  our  summons  has 
come  more  in  the  form  of  a  request  than  of  a  command  :  be- 
cause our  love  is  appealed  to,  and  not  our  fear  ;  because  we 
are  invited  as  men,  and  not  compelled  as  children  1  True  it 
is  that  the  request  of  man  may  be  neglected,  because  it  com- 
monly implies  the  want  of  means  of  enforcing  his  will.  But 
the  request  of  God,  is  an  expression  of  love,  and  not  of  weak- 
ness. It  is  a  commandment,  and  the  most  fearful  to  the  dis- 
obedient of  all  commandments ;  for  it  appeals  not  to  our 
carnal  man,  not  to  our  slavish  fear,  of  pains  and  penalties  : 
but  it  is  addressed  to  oar  spiritual  man,  to  our  love  and  ea- 
gerness of  obedience,  the  fruits  of  that  love.  If  therefore  we 
hear  not,  where  is  our  spiritual  man  1  and  then,  indeed,  where, 
alas  !  are  we  1 

This  last  analogy  with  sacrifice  has  now  brought  me  to 
the  practical  consideration  of  this  sacrament  of  God's  church ; 
with  this  I  will  proceed. 

Very  different  indeed  from  the  prevailing  notions  of  the 
present  day,  were  those  which  were  entertained  on  this  point 
by  the  earlier  Christians.  Let  us  for  a  moment  suppose  one 
of  these  hearers  of  the  hearers  of  our  Lord,  or  even  of  the 
hearers  of  the  sixth  or  eighth  succession  from  them,  to  arise 
and  take  his  stand  in  a  church  of  these  times  and  of  this  land. 


96  ON   SACRIFICE. 

Let  us  endeavour  to  conceive  his  feelings  on  seeing  (as  we 
repeatedly  see)  a  whole  congregation  turn  their  backs  upon 
the  table  of  the  Lord,  and  thus  voluntarily  put  themselves 
into  a  situation,  which  with  him  was  one  of  incapacity  or  de- 
gradation, reserved  for  children,  for  the  unbaptized,  for  the 
lapsed,  for  the  possessed  :  on  hearing  the  solitary  minister  of 
that  table  call,  with  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness, lost  upon  stocks  and  stones :  would  he  deign  to  ac- 
knowledge for  a  portion  of  Christ's  church,  that  crowd  which 
he  saw  hurrying  through  the  door,  as  if  escaping  from  an  un- 
welcome invitation  1  would  he  condescend  to  term  that  a  flock 
of  Christ,  which  he  saw  refusing  the  food  provided  for  them 
by  their  shepherd  1  He  would  indignantly  deny  all  fellow- 
ship with  them  in  Christ;  he  would  assert  that  they  had 
neither  part  nor  portion  with  him, — that  the  memory  of  his 
mercies  was  unpleasing  to  them, — that  they  recked  not  of  his 
body  and  his  blood, — and  careless  of  how  he  had  come,  were 
careless  also  of  how  he  would  come.  Were  we  to  ask  him, 
in  what  company  then  would  he  place  them,  he  would  unhesi- 
tatingly answer,  in  the  company  of  Peter,  who  denied  his 
master ;  in  the  company  of  Judas,  who  quitted  that  very  table 
to  betray  him.  To  any  attempt  at  palliation,  he  would  in- 
dignantly demand  if  we  held  that  to  forget  God  is  not  to  have 
cast  him  out  of  mind, — to  neglect  his  injunctions  is  not  to 
rebel  against  him, — not  to  thank  him  for  his  blessings  is  not 
to  slight  them, — not  to  be  with  him  is  not  to  be  against  him, — 
not  to  gather  is  not  to  scatter  1  However  reproachful  this 
language  may  appear,  no  one,  who  is  acquainted  with  the 
sentiments  of  the  earlier  ages,  will  assert  that  it  is  stronger 
than  such  as  would  rise  to  the  lips,  if  not  pass  them,  of  such 
a  spectator.  Custom  has  reconciled  us  to  the  sight,  and  so 
it  will  to  that  of  the  most  hideous  deformities ;  they  are  not 
the  less  really  hideous  notwithstanding. 

After  this  none  will  surely  find  fault  with  the  plain  un- 
compromising language  of  our  church,  which  so  earnestly 
enjoins  her  members  to  repair  to  the  celebration  of  this  rite, 
and  so  solemnly  warns  them  when  they  are  come.  She  uses 
the  language  of  Scripture,  and  such  language  will  equally 
condemn  us  in  carelessly  approaching  God  with  private 
prayer.  There,  however,  neither  she  nor  any  other  human 
agent  can  interfere.  There  we  must  be  left  to  our  own  com- 
fortable self-delusion,  and  no  words  from  without  can  inter- 
rupt the  pleasing  dream  that  we  are  really  praying,  when  we 


ON  SACRIFICE.  97 

are  neither  penitent,  nor  thankful,  nor  obedient.  But  here,  in 
a  public  ceremony,  where  her  voice  must  needs  be  heard,  she 
exhorts  and  she  deprecates  in  the  most  earnest  terms,  and 
honestly  opens  the  truth,  however  unpalatable.  She  is  the 
most  anxious  and  affectionate  of  mothers.  Let  us  not  then 
complain  of  her  public  severity,  but  rather  embrace  it  as  an 
occasion  of  inquiring  into  our  private  laxity.  Let  us  not,  by 
wilfully  mistaking  her  aifectionate  exhortation  for  stern  de- 
nunciation, be  of  that  company,  which,  when  our  Saviour 
spoke  of  the  eating  of  his  flesh,  and  drinking  of  his  blood, 
cried  out,  "  This  is  a  hard  saying :  who  can  hear  it?"  and 
walked  with  him  no  more. 

This  rite,  my  brethren,  is  a  spiritual  sacrifice,  in  which  we 
spiritually  celebrate  the  great  sacrifice  of  our  Saviour,  once 
offered  upon  the  cross ;  and  entering  into  his  sufierings  unto 
death,  which  are  our  redemption  unto  life,  we  offer  up  our- 
selves, our  souls  and  bodies,  to  be  a  reasonable,  holy  and 
lively  sacrifice  unto  God.  But  men  cry  out  here  that  they 
are  not  in  a  fit  state  to  make  use  of  such  strong  expressions, 
they  cannot  pledge  themselves  so  far,  their  intentions  cannot 
rise  to  a  mark  so  high.  Let  them  now  consider,  to  what  does 
all  this  really  amount!  Even  to  this,  that  their  profession 
of  Christianity  is  but  that  of  the  lips,  that  they  will  not  form 
a  single  steady  and  sincere  resolution,  and  so  give  God  a 
single  pledge  that  they  will  ever  confess  it  in  their  hearts. 
Have  they  ever  reflected  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  apos- 
tacy,  and  no  less  amid  the  seductions  of  quiet  luxurious 
times,  than  amid  the  compulsion  of  troublous  and  necessi- 
tous 1  Can  they  imagine,  that  either  in  one  case  or  the  other 
they  can  hold  fast  the  faith  of  Christ,  when  they  have  taken 
no  pains  to  acquire  either  knowledge  or  resolution  which  shall 
support  them  in  the  day  of  trial  1  For  a  real  strife  after  such 
knowledge  and  resolution  would  of  necessity  bring  them  to 
the  table  of  the  Lord.  But  be  the  world  how  it  will,  full  of 
joy  or  of  sorrow,  of  seduction  or  of  intimidation,  the  life  of 
the  Christian  is  a  scene  of  continual  trial,  a  long-protracted 
agony  of  conflict.  Sacrifices  are  there  to  be  daily  offered  by 
him  to  his  Saviour,  of  pleasure,  of  comfort,  of  riches,  of 
power,  of  affection,  of  every  thing  which  the  world  holds 
precious.  And  will  a  single  such  sacrifice  ever  be  offered  by 
him  who  will  not  so  much  as  engage  in  the  shadowy  repre- 
sentation of  the  great  sacrifice  I  Will  he  ever  suffer  for  Christ's 
sake,  who  will  no  teven  enter  upon  the  bare  commemoration 


98  ON   SACRIFICE. 

of  his  sufferings  1  Will  he  ever  take  up,  still  more  bear,  the 
cross  of  Christ,  who  turns  away  from  his  table  1  Here,  then, 
my  brethren,  is  a  most  simple  test,  and  at  the  same  time 
most  effectual.  The  time  is  indeed  gone  by,  since  this  rite 
has  been  applied  as  a  test  of  allegiance  to  an  earthly  sovereign. 
But  it  will  ever  remain  a  test  of  loyalty  to  our  Heavenly 
Sovereign ;  and  disaffection  cannot  but  be  most  justly  im- 
puted to  him  who  refuses  to  take  it. 

How  blissfully,  amid  all  the  horrors  of  the  wilderness, 
amid  the  conflict  of  surrounding  enemies,  could  the  eye  and 
heart  of  the  pious  Israelite  repose  upon  the  cloudy  pillar  of 
glory,  which  rested  upon  the  tabernacle.  There  was  peace, 
there  was  security,  which  no  power  of  this  world  could  dis- 
turb. And  although  he  knew  that  God  was  ever  nigh  unto 
all  them  that  call  upon  him,  and  that  no  sensible  representa- 
tion could  bring  him  nearer,  yet  this  visible  token  of  his  pre- 
sence, and  sign  of  his  covenant,  could  not  but  administer 
continual  hope  of  comfort.  And  are  we,  amid  the  perplexing 
wilderness  of  life,  amid  the  weary  struggle  with  foes  of  body 
and  soul,  are  we  left  destitute  of  similar  comfort?  Oh  no! 
the  same  Lord  of  glory,  who  exhibited  that  symbol  of  his 
helping  presence  to  the  Israelite,  hath  ordained  a  resting- 
place  for  our  spiritual  eye.  He  hath  established  among  us  a 
visible  sign,  and  given  us  in  this  rite  a  palpable  assurance, 
that  if  we  suffer,  then  we  suffer  with  him  who  rose  again,  and 
ascended  to  prepare  mansions  of  bliss  for  his  faithful  follow- 
ers ;  for  if  he  show  us  his  death,  he  also  foreshows  to  us  his 
coming  again,  when  all  enemies,  with  their  great  leaders,  sin 
and  death,  shall  be  put  under  his  footstool,  and  he  shall  re- 
ceive his  own  into  everlasting  glory. 

Come,  then,  let  us  offer  our  sacrifice,  and  the  greater  our 
health  and  wealth,  so  much  the  more  let  us  repair  to  its  cele- 
bration :  for  we  have  both  more  to  be  thankful  for,  and  all  our 
affections  and  faculties  are  in  their  best  vigour  for  God's 
service.  Let  us  not  wait  for  the  desponding,  the  distracting, 
the  misgiving  hour  of  sickness ;  nor  let  the  hour  of  death 
so  surprise  us,  as  but  to  leave  time  for  our  first  and  last  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  supper,  as  the  only  test  which,  after  a 
life  of  so  many  opportunities,  we  can  give  of  our  profession. 
What  were  this  but  the  delusion  of  him  who  deemed  to  save 
his  soul  by  securing  his  dying  limbs  in  the  dress  of  a  monk  ? 
Let  us  then  come  to  our  Lord's  table,  and  bring  with  us  to  it 
a  thankful  acknowledgment  of  the  high  and  blessed  privi- 


ON  SACRIFICE.  '      99 

leges  of  light  under  which  we  are  invited  to  it.     Consider  a 
moment,  my  brethren,   and  look  at  the  patriarch :  see  with 
what  a  vague  undefined  prospect  of  the  mode  of  his  redemp- 
toin,  he  brings  his  offering  to   the  altar.     Look  at  the  Jew  : 
behold  how,  in  despite  of  the  light  of  his  law  playing  around, 
of  the  blaze  of  prophecy  streaming  in  advance,  yet  is  in  igno- 
rance of  the  precise   events  by  which  his  salvation  shall  be 
wrought,  that  he   goes  up   to  the  altar.     And   now  look  at 
yourselves :  with  a  clear  knowledge  of  the  manner  of  your 
redemption,  of  the  character  of  your  Redeemer,   every  ob- 
ject,  every  motion,   every  word   in  the  rite  before  you,  im- 
plying no   obscure  future,  veiling  no  promised  blessing,  but 
referring  you   to   past  events  distinctly  and  minutely  made 
known  to  you,  the  blessed  effects  of  which  you  are  now  ex- 
periencing in  substance,  not  anticipating  in  hope ;  the  whole 
scheme  of  man's  restoration  being  drawn  out  and  laid  open 
before  your  eyes,  your  Saviour's  express  words  inviting  you; 
— thus,  even  thus  do  ye  offer  your  reasonable,  your  bloodless 
sacrifice.     Think  of  this,   and  compare  your  situation  with 
that  of  the  most  enlightened  and  illustrious  characters  under 
the  old  covenants.     Yea,  compare  it  with  that  of  Noah,  when 
he  built  anew  the  church   of  God,   on  the  renewal  of  the 
world  after  the  flood :  with  that  of  Abraham  offering  up  his 
son  in  a  type  of  that  which  was  to  come :  with  that  of  David, 
when  he  brought  up  the  ark  of  God  into  its  resting  place : 
with  that  of  Solomon,  when  he  made  his  royal  and  costly 
offerings  on  the  dedication  of  God's  temple :  with   that  of 
Isaiah,   when  at  sacrifice  he  beheld  the  glory  of  the  Lord : 
with  that  of  Zachariah,  when  the  archangel  Gabriel  promised 
a  Son,  the  forerunner  of  the  Redeemer :  with  that  of  Simeon, 
when  he  offered  the  sacrifice  of  the  blessed  Mary,  and  held  up 
in  his  arms  the  Saviour  of  the  world.     All  these  obtained  not 
the  promise,  and  the   least  of  us  in  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
greater  than  them  all.     They  had  but  the  faint  glimmer  of  the 
broad  daylight  amidst  which  we  are  living.     Let  us  think  of 
these  things,  and,  endeavouring  duly  to  estimate  this  our  pe- 
culiar blessedness,  thankfully  dispose  our  hearts,  so  to  eat  of 
the  bread   and  drink   of  the  cup  (which  are  the  body  and 
blood  of  our  Saviour)  upon  earth,  that  we  may  indeed  drink 
of  the  fruit  of  the  spiritual  vine,  and  eat  of  the  spiritual  bread 
of  everlasting  life,  together  with  him,  new,  in  the  kingdom  of 
God. 


100 


DISSERTATION  VII. 


ON  THE  PRIESTHOOD  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF    GOD. 

Wherefore,  holy  brethren,  partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling,  con- 
sider the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  profession,  Christ 
Jesus. — Heb.  iii.  1. 

Christ,  having  been  ordained  for  the  salvation  of  mankind, 
and,  in  order  to  this  end,  having  to  reconcile  by  his  mediation 
two  separated  parties,  must  have  performed  this  office  under  a 
twofold  character,  by  which  he  may  present  himself  to  either 
party  on  the  part  of  the  other, — to  man  on  the  part  of  God,  to 
God  on  the  part  of  man.  In  the  first  case,  as  sent  from  God, 
he  would  proclaim  to  man  God's  gracious  intention,  signify  his 
gracious  promise  of  pardon,  and  instruct  him  in  the  way  of  ob- 
taining it.  In  the  second  case,  he  would  appear  before  God 
with  the  means  of  satisfying  his  justice,  and  to  present  to  him 
man's  entire  repentance,  thanks,  faith,  homage,  and  submission. 
To  the  first  of  these  his  human  nature  was  necessary;  to  the 
second  his  divine  :  the  former  is  the  duty  of  his  apostolical 
character,  the  latter  of  his  pontifical.  Now,  since  the  proper 
scenes  on  which  these  two  appear  are  earth  and  heaven,  he 
must  previously  to  his  advent  have  discharged  the  former  by 
deputation :  and  since  man  requires  a  sign  to  assure  him  of 
the  discharge  of  the  latter,  hence  in  this  also,  a  representative 
on  earth  will  be  required.  We  have  now  to  look  out  for  these 
representatives  in  the  Church  of  God. 

Adam  was  evidently  such  a  representative  under  both 
heads.  As  an  offerer  of  sacrifice,  he  was  the  pontifical ;  as 
an  inspired  instructor  of  his  children,  he  was  the  apostolical 
representative.  And  the  same  combination  will  continue 
throughout^ this  stage;  since  the  joint  offering  of  a  family 
cannot  be  so  properly  offered  by  any  member  as  by  the  fa- 


ON  THE  PRIESTHOOD.  101 

ther,  its  natural  head ;  and  he  is  already  invested  by  nature 
with  the  apostolical  office.  Bat  in  that  state  of  the  world, 
families  grew  into  tribes,  and  tribes  into  nations,  and  the  head 
of  the  nation  would  necessarily  combine  these  offices  :  hence 
we  may  also  resolve  them  into  three  divisions.  He  would 
be  priest,  prophet  and  king;  according  to  the  second  and 
third  offices,  governing  and  teaching  his  people,  and  being 
the  lineal  conservator,  if  not  the  deliverer,  of  the  oracles  and 
promises  of  God.     Such  was  Melchisedec. 

We  may  here  remark  the  exceedingly  high  privileges  oi 
the  first-born,  who  was  the  natural  heir  not  only  to  temporal, 
but  also  to  spiritual  dignities ;  and  may  estimate  the  crime  of 
Esau,  who  was  heir  not  only  to  what  had  been  transmitted  to 
Adam,  but  also  to  additional  promises  made  to  his  father,  and 
his  father's  father. 

On  coming  to  the  next  dispensation,  we  immediately  en- 
counter its  characteristic  limitation.  As  the  sacrifice  is  con- 
fined to  one  place,  to  certain  times,  to  specified  sins,  so  the 
sacrificer  is  limited  to  the  first-born  of  a  single  family.  ^  We 
also  meet  with  a  disruption  of  the  apostolical  and  pontifical 
offices,  the  first  being  conferred  on  Moses,  the  second  on 
Aaron,  This  was  necessary  to  the  more  full  and  perfect  de- 
velopment of  each  during  this  stage  of  preparation  and  fore- 
shadowing. There  is  also  a  difference  in  their  transmission, 
the  second  being  entailed  on  the  first-born  of  Aaron's  family, 
while  the  first  is  not  confined  either  to  person  or  family,  but 
distributed  among  several  at  the  same  time,  as  between  Saul 
the  king,  and  Samuel  the  prophet ;  and  indeed  Solomon  was 
the  last  in  whom  the  dignity  of  rule  and  gift  of  prophecy  was 
united.  This  difference  of  transmission  arose  not  only  from 
the  circumstance  of  the  second  being  merely  passive  repre- 
sentation, and  therefore  affording  no  reason  for  departing 
from  the  line  of  succession ;  and  of  the  first  being  most  active 
exertion,  and  therefore  requiring  qualities  which  could  be 
maintained  in  a  limited  succession  only  by  a  continual  mira- 
cle ;  but  it  was  designed  also  to  narrow  the  view  down  to  the 
one  only  mediator,  who,  when  once  come,  could  never  again 
be  represented  by  human  creature ;  while  in  his  apostolical 
character  our  Lord  continued  and  continues  to  be  represented 
by  a  widely  spread  ministry,  deriving  commission  from  him 
through  his  apostles.  Amidst  all  his  exclusiveness,  how- 
ever, and  in  the  very  pages  of  the  book  of  that  law  of  con- 
traction and  constraint,  the  Jew  was  warned  of  the  shadowy 
K 


102  ON  THE  PRIESTHOOD. 

nature  of  his  priesthood,  by  the  exhibition  of  that  of  Melchi- 
sedec,  who  there  stands  without  enumeration  of  ancestors,  so 
necessary  to  the  genuineness  of  the  Aaronic  priest ;  without 
time  of  birth  or  time  of  death  being  stated ;  without  prede- 
cessors or  successors  being  specified :  and  the  spiritually 
minded,  no  doubt,  were  instructed  by  this  comparison  to 
expect  the  passing  away  of  their  own  priesthood,  and  look 
forward  to  one  common  to  all  mankind,  and  of  everlasting 
duration. 

But  now  those  shadowy  priests  have  all  vanished,  and 
their  substance  is  come.    The  first-born  among  many  brethren, 
the  true  priest,  the  true  king,  the  true  prophet,  has  appeared, 
hath  announced  pardon  from  God,  and  hath  offered  the  sacri- 
fice ordained  from  the  beginning  of  the  world.     On  earth,  and 
for  all  men,  and  not  in  the  temple  and  for  the  Jews,  the  great 
High  Priest  hath  made  his  offering;  and  in  heaven,  and  for 
all  men,  and  not  in  the  holy  of  holies,  and  for  the  Jews,  the 
great  High  Priest,  in  virtue  of  that  offering,  is  standing  with 
his  intercession.     There  is,  therefore,  no  longer,  upon  earth, 
a  sacrificing  priest;  consequently,  it  is  only  in  his  apostolical 
character  that  our  Saviour  can  have  any  representative :  gene- 
rally speaking,  he  is  represented  by  every  one  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church  to  whom  we  are  bound  to  pay  obedience  or  reve- 
rence, since,  however  nature  may  have  invested  them  with 
claims  to  such,  yet  they  derive  a  new  and  higher  title  from 
the  great  head  and  ruler  of  all.     We  must  be  faithful  to  our 
rulers,  we  must  be  obedient  to  our  masters,  attentive  to  our 
teachers,  dutiful  to  our  parents,  for  his  sake  by  whom  all 
these  powers  are  ordained.     But  more  particularly  he  is  re- 
presented by  the  spiritual  pastors  of  his  church,  whose  office, 
since  sacrifice  has  been  finished,  and  the  volume  of  prophecy 
sealed,  is  now  confined  to  the  spiritual  government  and  in- 
struction of  his  church ;  they  form,  therefore,  a  ministry,  and 
not  a  priesthood  :  accordingly,  they  are  never  once  designated 
in  the  New  Testament  (however  they  may  be  in  later  writers) 
by  the  word  {hiereys)  which  signifies  a  sacrificing  priest,  but 
are  termed  bishops  or  overseers,  presbyters  or  elders,  deacons 
or  ministers.     The  root  of  all  corruption  in  the  church,  has 
been  the  blasphemous  assumption  of  the  sacrificial  and  me- 
diatorial character,  by  these  representatives  of  but  a  portion  of 
even  the  apostolical. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  examine  our  own  dispensation,  un- 
,  der  the  two  heads  of  its  pontifical  and  apostolical  govern 
ment. 


ON  THE  PRIESTHOOD.  103 

I.  The  first  we  have  seen  to  belong  to  Christ  alone ;  it  has 
been  partly  fulfilled  upon  earth,  and  is  still  partly  fulfilling  in 
heaven.  Let  us  consider  our  state  in  this  respect,  and  com- 
pare it  with  that  of  the  Jew,  which  was  one  of  greater  blessed- 
ness than  that  of  the  Patriarch,  inasmuch  as  a  written  and 
recorded  warrant  and  promise  of  God  was  more  satisfactory 
than  one  which  was  merely  traditional,  and  therefore  also  not 
so  expressly  traced  to  God's  command. 

We  have  seen  that  Jewish  intercession  was  confined — first, 
to  a  certain  place ;  second,  to  a  certain  time ;  third,  to  a  cer- 
tain person  ;  fourth,  to  certain  sins. 

1.  The  place  was  the  Jewish  temple,  a  building  of  stones 
and  timber.  Intercession,  therefore,  was  subject  to  all  the 
external  accidents.  A  conflagration  might  put  an  end  to  it, 
nor  could  it  be  renewed,  after  such  an  interruption,  without 
fresh  warrant  from  God.  Thus  the  Jew  was  in  spiritual 
jeopardy  every  hour ;  he  was,  indeed,  subject  to  worldly  ele- 
ments; every  threat  of  the  Syrian,  the  Babylonian,  the 
Egyptian,  or  the  Roman,  made  him  tremble,  not  only  for  his 
temporal,  but  also  spiritual  welfare.  And  it  required  the  un- 
interrupted and  stirring  song  of  prophecy  to  keep  his  heart 
above  despair,  and  assure  him  against  the  threatening  appear- 
ances around.  Now  turn  from  this  bondage  to  our  liberty. 
Our  temple  is  heaven ;  there  is  our  High  Priest,  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  all  the  powers  of  earth  or  of  hell ;  nay,  keeping  them 
in  subjection  under  his  feet.  Nothing  in  this  world,  neither 
kingdoms,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  upon 
earth,  nor  things  under  the  earth,  can  give  us  a  moment's 
anxiety. 

2.  On  incurring  any  sin  or  impurity,  for  which  his  law  had 
provided  atonement  by  sacrifice,  the  Jew  had  all  the  formal, 
and  (unless  resident  in  Jerusalem)  tedious  and  dilatory  pro- 
cess to  go  through,  of  repairing  in  person  to  the  temple,  of 
instructing  the  priest  with  the  occasion  of  his  sacrifice,  and 
then  of  the  ceremonial  of  the  sacrifice.  Thus  innumerable 
accidents  may  intervene  to  deprive  him  of  restoration  to  his 
former  state,  and  the  whole  nation  might  be  deprived  of  its 
imputed  character  of  holiness,  be  degraded  from  its  glorious 
state  of  an  assembly  of  priests  and  kings,  by  some  worldly 
incident,  preventing  the  annual  celebration  of  the  great  day  of 
atonement,  on  which  this  nation  of  exclusive  holiness  and 
vaunted  privileges  was  summoned  as  a  criminal  before  the 
bar  of  God,  and  in  the  very  form  of  absolution  underwent  all 


104  ON  THE  PRIESTHOOD. 

the  solemnities  of  the -passinff  a  sentence  of  death.  In  every 
case,  private  or  public,  the  offender  was  left  in  utter  helpless- 
ness during  the  interval  between  the  commission  of  the  of- 
fence, and  the  offering  of  the  sacrifice.  No  prayer,  however 
humble;  no  appeal,  however  earnest,  could  avail  one  iota  of 
his  contracted  uncleanness.  For  that  he  must  await  an  ex- 
ternal rite  in  the  flesh  ;  his  spirit  was  bound,  as  it  were,  to  the 
earth,  and  was  unable  to  rise  until  its  dull  and  mortal  compa- 
nion, the  body,  had  gone  through  certain  prescribed  forms  and 
motions.  Here  was  rebuke,  here  was  perplexity  indeed ;  and 
then  how  limited  in  every  way  was  the  pardon  obtained.  It 
went  as  far  as  the  prescribed  form  of  words  put  up  by  the 
priest,  and  no  further ;  as  far  as  the  remission  of  the  particu- 
lar offence,  and  no  further ;  and  the  continual  renewal  of  sa- 
crifice was  required  to  meet  the  continually  renewed  guilt. 
The  law  was,  indeed,  a  schoolmaster  to  bring  unto  Christ ; 
but  it  was  a  stern  schoolmaster,  whose  voice  never  ceased  to 
chide,  whose  rigour  was  ever  demanding  satisfaction.  But 
we  are  under  no  schoolmaster,  our  spirit  is  under  no  bondage. 
Our  sacrifice,  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient  for  all  the  sins  of  the 
whole  world,  past  and  to  come,  has  been  offered  once ;  and 
our  High  Priest's  mediation  proceeds,  from  that  moment,  with 
unbroken  efficacy,  to  continue  until  sin  with  death  shall  be  no 
more.  At  every  moment,  therefore,  we  can,  by  appeal  to 
him,  obtain  the  benefits  of  that  sacrifice ;  at  every  moment  our 
spirit  can  rise  in  prayer,  and  procure  his  intercession.  We 
are  released  from  all  bondage  of  the  body ;  time,  place,  and 
form,  can  raise  no  obstruction  to  us ;  we  are  free,  we  are  spi- 
ritual. Tied  to  the  bed  of  sickness,  we  are  not  precluded 
from  our  temple ;  neither  prevented  from  the  presence  of  our 
priest,  who  is  God  over  all,  blessed  for  evermore. 

3.  Jewish  intercession  could  be  made  only  through  a  de- 
scendant of  Aaron.  Now,  though  an  official  succession  or 
men  may  proceed  without  interruption,  as  long  as  the  society 
or  nation  in  which  they  are  included  exists,  yet  this  is  far 
from  being  the  case  with  family  succession,  of  the  termina- 
tion of  which  we  see  instances  every  day.  Here,  then,  was 
another  point  of  uncertainty  to  the  Jew.  If  his  temple  was 
brute  stones  and  timber,  his  priest  was  frail  flesh  and  blood ; 
and  if  the  axe  and  firebrand  may  destroy  the  one,  the  sword 
or  the  pestilence  may  extinguish  the  other.  But  this  was  not 
all  the  imperfection.  His  priest,  being  sinful  man,  was  in- 
debted for  the  efficacy  of  his  intercession  to  imputed  holiness ; 


ON  THE  PRIESTHOOD.  105 

and,  therefore,  in  despite  of  the  express  covenant  of  God  to 
accept  such  mediation,  there  would  arise  most  uncomfortable 
doubts  upon  the  following  points. 

1st.  Whether  he  really  was  in  that  state  of  imputed  holi- 
ness which  was  necessary  to  the  efficacy  of  his  mediation. 
Through  neglect,  wilful  or  unintentional,  he  might  have 
omitted  some  ceremony  prescribed  for  this  purpose;  or  may 
have  relapsed  into  a  state  of  defilement  since  the  performance 
of  those  ceremonies. 

2d.  Was  he  well  assured  that  all  in  the  rite  itself  of  the 
sacrifice  was  done  according  to  rule ;  whether  nothing  M'as 
omitted,  or  admitted,  by  which  the  whole  proceeding  was 
vitiated  1  The  number  and  minuteness  of  the  ceremonial 
regulations  of  his  law,  could  not  but  subject  the  Jew  to  per- 
plexing questions  of  this  kind.  But  our  High  Priest  liveth 
for  evermore :  he  is  purity  itself,  and  therefore  has  no  offering 
to  make  for  his  own  sins  ;  he  is  truth  itself,  and  will  therefore 
sincerely  plead :  and  he  is  the  son  of  God,  and  therefore  will 
effectually  plead.  Nor  does  this  unearthly  character  preclude 
us  from  the  assurance  of  his  sympathy, — an  assurance  so 
necessary  to  our  confidence  in  such  a  mediator  ;  for  he  took 
our  nature  upon  him,  suffered  temptation,  underwent  our  sor- 
rows. Thus  every  opening  is  closed  against  doubt,  and  we 
may  boldly  a|)proach  the  throne  of  God,  confident  of  the  all- 
sufficiency  in  every  point,  and  at  «very  time,  of  our  heavenly 
and  everlasting  mediator. 

3d.  Jewish  intercession  w^as  applied  to  particular  sins, 
selected  each  for  a  peculiar  atonement :  and  these  were  rather 
infirmities  than  sins,  while  the  greater  transgressions  were 
left  without  the  benefit  of  any  rite  of  absolution.  But  the 
pardon  procured  by  the  intercession  of  Christ  is  not  thus 
confined  to  any  particular  infirmity,  nor  unequal  to  do  away 
the  greater  transgressions.  It  extends  to  our  whole  life. 
Nay,  more :  it  not  only  annuls  the  past,  but  even  in  the  very 
act  creates  the  future  :  for  with  forgiveness  for  what  has  been 
done  in  sin,  it  confers  the  grace  to  do  it  in  righteousness ;  and 
it  fills  the  mind  not  only  with  the  lightness  of  heart  arising 
from  the  having  thrown  down  a  burden,  but  also  with  the 
delight  experienced  from  taking  up  a  gift ;  not  only  with  dis- 
missal of  doubt  and  fear,  but  with  the  entertainment  of  hope 
and  love.  Thus  its  eftbct  pervades  the  whole  mind  of  man, 
refining  his  aflections,  exalting  his  thoughts,  pacifying  the 
k2 


106  ON  THE  PRIESTHOOD. 

terrors  of  memory,  and  presenting  views  of  glory  to  his  fore- 
sight. 

And  now,  my  brethren,  may  we  not  indeed  joyfully  assent 
to  our  Saviour's  assertion,  "  that  his  burden  is  light,  and  his 
yoke  easy  ]"  On  this  vital  point  of  mediation,  how  bound  in 
hand  and  foot  did  the  Jew  approach  God's  altar"?  What  a 
slave  indeed  was  he !  even  the  most  spiritual-minded,  they 
who  looked  beyond  the  letter  of  the  law,  to  whom  the  law 
itself  furnished  elements  of  thought  which  carried  their  minds 
far  beyond  its  narrow  barrier,  felt  their  spirit  at  every  turn 
opposed  by  its  wall  of  fleshy  ordinances.  They  were  priso- 
ners in  a  dungeon,  who  could  overhear  the  glad  sounds  of  life 
without,  and  to  whom  through  its  loophole  there  streamed  a 
ray  in  tantalizing  token  of  the  joyous  light  around.  In  all 
their  aspirations  they  were  exalted  but  to  be  humbled.  After 
their  widest  spiritual  range,  they  returned  (like  runaways  to 
their  prison)  to  the  distinction  of  meats,  and  all  the  minute 
and  formal  observances  which  God  indeed  had  imposed,  but 
at  the  same  time  had  informed  them,  both  by  the  spirit  of  the 
very  law  which  bound  them,  and  by  the  mouths  of  his 
prophets,  whom  he  sent,  to  be  intrinsically  unnecessary. 
Amid  the  multitude  of  bulls  and  rams  slain  in  the  temple, 
their  reason  informed  by  God,  cried  out  to  them  that  such 
brute  offerings  could  not  avail  to  take  away  sin,  and  his  mes- 
sengers were  exclaiming,  "  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice, 
and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams ;"  that  "  the  sacrifice  of 
God  was  a  contrite  spirit,"  and  demanded  whether  "  God 
would  drink  the  blood  of  bulls,  and  eat  the  fat  of  rams." 
Thus  were  they  daily  rebuked,  thus  straitened,  thus  imposed 
with  a  hard,  and,  at  the  same  time,  unnecessary  task. 

What  shall  we  say,  then,  my  brethren,  of  them  who  would 
bring  us  back  into  all  this  jeopardy?  And  they  do  bring  us 
back,  who  invest  the  human  minister  of  Christ  with  the 
mediatorial  character;  they  bring  back  all  the  carnal  purifi- 
cations, and  all  the  doubts  of  efficacy  which  we  saw  atten- 
dant upon  Jewish  intercession.  Let  us  stand  fast  in  the 
liberty  with  which  Christ  hath  made  us  free,  who  is  our  only 
mediator  and  advocate,  and  who  hath  once  and  for  ever  offered 
the  only  sacrifice. 

II.  Let  us  now  proceed  to  the  apostolical  part  of  our 
Lord's  office  in  our  covenant.  As  our  Lord,  though  repre- 
sented in  this  character  by  human  agents  in  the  two  preceding 
stages,  yet  did  not  altogether  exclude  his  own  occasional  and 


ON   THE    PRIESTHOOD.  107 

particular  interference  as  head  of  the  church,  but  appeared 
and  directed  his  deputed  ao'ents  amid  mighty  and  fearful  signs 
and  wonders,  so,  notwithstanding  his  appointment  of  apostles 
and  ministers,  he  did,  in  the  infancy  of  the  Christian  church, 
which  called  for  especial  assistance,  manifest  his  open  aiid 
direct  superintendence,  as  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  in  the 
conversion  of  St.  Paul,  and  other  remarkable  events  of  that 
period.  Nor  will  an  attentive  and  pious  mind  fail  to  trace  the 
mighty  though  secret  working  of  its  great  superintendent,  in 
the  series  of  events  which  have  befallen  his  church  in  later 
days,  however  they  may  assume  to  a  more  circumscribed 
view  the  shape  of  effects  of  ordinary  agency ;  each  single 
event  may  appear  natural,  but  the  series  is  miraculous. 

The  ordinary  charges,  however,  of  government  and  in- 
struction, he  has  deputed  to  human  hands,  in  analogy  with 
the  constitution  of  human  society  in  general,  whose  order 
is  maintained  by  chosen  members  of  itself.  These  he  de- 
puted to  his  apostles,  and  their  successors  for  ever ;  first  in 
the  commission  which  he  gave  to  the  twelve  and  the  seventy, 
and  finally,  in  the  moment  previous  to  his  ascension,  in  those 
memorable  words,  "  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you,  and  lo !  I  am  with  you, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." — (Matth.  xxviii.  19,  20, 
To  which  may  be  added,  Matth.  xviii.  18,  19.) 

It  is  then  the  prophetical  part  only  (taking  that  word  in  its 
wide  sense)  of  his  threefold  office,  which  our  Lord  has  de- 
puted to  the  Christian  ministry;  the  strictly  prophetic  gift, 
that  of  foretelling  the  future,  was  indeed  imparted,  but  only 
for  a  season.  There  remain  the  conservation  of  his  oracles, 
the  teaching  of  his  word,  and  the  government  of  his  church, — 
all  three  intimately  connected  indeed,  but  yet  not  so  entirely, 
but  that  one  may  devolve  to  an  individual  in  a  much  larger 
proportion  than  the  others :  for  instance,  the  conservation  of 
his  word  will  require  a  more  deep  and  extensive  learning, 
than  will  be  called  forth  by  the  ordinary  duties  of  teaching 
it,  since  it  establishes  what  the  other  takes  for  granted,  the 
authority  of  Scripture,  and  authenticity  of  its  documents ; 
while  the  government  of  the  church  again  will  demand  quali- 
ties, many  of  which  are  not  required,  and  the  rest  necessary 
but  in  an  inferior  degree,  to  the  mere  teacher.  To  these 
offices  God  ordained  in  his  church — first,  apostles ;  secondly, 


108  ON   THE    PRIESTHOOD. 

prophets  ;  thirdly,  teachers ;  then,  workers  of  miracles ;  after 
that,  gifts  of  healing,  ministers,  governors,  diversity  of 
tongues.  (1  Cor.  xii.  28).  Into  these  distinctions  it  is  now 
unnecessary  to  enter ;  we  will  proceed,  therefore,  to  consider 
the  Christian  minister  in  the  general,  and  first  view  him  in 
comparison  with  the  Jewish  teacher. 

1.  He  had  a  predecessor  in  the  Jewish  prophet,  in  com- 
mon with  whom  he  has  to  uphold  the  honour  and  glory  of 
God,  amid  an  unbelieving  generation.  He  has  to  unfold  his 
blessings  given  and  to  be  given, — to  signify  his  everlasting 
counsels, — to  promise  pardon  and  peace,  or  to  denounce 
judgment  and  woe, — to  publish  unwelcome  truths, — to  appear 
before  kings  and  rulers, — to  rebuke  the  impenitent  Ahab, — to 
comfort  the  pious  Hezekiah.  But  far  more  excellent  than 
the  heralds  of  the  Christ  who  was  coming,  is  the  ambassador 
of  the  Christ  who  is  come  ;  they  saw  the  ray,  these  beheld 
the  sun  ;  they  preached  the  hope  of  things  unseen,  these  an- 
nounce the  substance.  They  saw  in  part,  and  could  unfold 
but  in  part ;  these  have  the  whole  scheme  of  God's  redemp- 
tion gloriously  unveiled  before  them.  They  sang  of  him 
who  was  to  come  in  the  flesh,  a  man  of  sorrows ;  these  tell  of 
him  who  is  to  come  at  the  last  day  in  glory  to  judge  the 
quick  and  the  dead.  If  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
be  greater  than  him  who  was  greater  than  all  the  prophets 
before  him,*  great  indeed  may  we  conclude  to  be  the  supe- 
riority of  the  Christian  minister  to  the  Jewish  prophet. 

2.  Still  higher  does  he  stand  than  the  Jewish  priest,  to 
whom  was  committed  the  teaching  of  the  law  of  ordinances, 
the  exposition  of  the  letter;!  while  the  unveiling  of  the 
spirit  was  confined  to  the  prophets.  Supposing  him,  there- 
fore, to  act  up  to  the  duty  of  the  most  faithful  expounder  of 
God's  word,  how  narrow  after  all  must  have  been  his  views, 
how  timid  his  exposition.  Accustomed  himself  to  officiate  in 
the  temple  with  a  number  of  minutely  prescribed  ceremonies, 
and  hedged  in  by  the  text  of  the  law,  which  he  had  to  inter- 
pret every  where  by  positive  injunctions,  beyond  which  he 
dared  not  enlarge ;  can  we  wonder  if  he  went  not  beyond  the 
letter  wliich  killeth,  until,  like  the  captive  who  hugs  his 
chain,  he  took  delight  in  narrowing  to  still  greater  straitness 
w^hat  was  so  narrow  already ;  and  can  we  wonder  if  the  peo- 
ple, amid  all  their  stupid  carnality,  observed  a  want  of  free- 

*  Matt.  xi.  11.  t  2  Chron.  xv.  S. 


ON   THE    PRIESTHOOD.  109 

dom  and  authority  in  this  unedifying  literality :  such  was  the 
Scribe,  such  the  Pharisee,  who,  in  addition,  by  their  pre- 
tended traditions,  threw  a  veil  still  more  thick  upon  the  spirit 
of  the  word.  At  other  times,  the  expounder  running  into  the 
opposite  extreme,  escaped  from  the  literality  of  the  text  into 
the  wilderness  of  moral  allegory,  and  despising  and  despised 
by  the  vulgar,  left  his  flock  still  more  unedified  than  the 
former :  such  was  the  Sadducee.  But  the  Christian  minister 
has  to  expound  the  liberty  of  the  spirit,  and  not  the  slavery  of 
the  letter ;  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  not  the  letter  of  the  law  : 
for  prescribed  and  outward  observances,  he  has  to  inculcate 
inward  and  essential  principles ;  for  formal  ethical  precepts,  he 
has  to  infuse  energetic  spiritual  motions.  The  volume  which 
he  interprets,  gives  his  spirit  unbounded  range ;  day  after  day  it 
may  feed  in  fresh  pastures,  drink  from  fresh  streams,  nor  can 
it  visit,  to  his  life's  end,  more  than  a  small  portion  of  the  re- 
gions open  to  its  excursions  :  unfettered  by  distinctions  of 
meat,  ablutions  of  the  body,  sacrifices  of  brutes,  observance 
of  carnal  forms  and  prescriptions ;  free  from  such  a  body  of 
death,  it  expatiates  over  the  boundless  prospect  of  the  life  to 
come ;  gazing  on  the  mighty  works  of  its  Master  and  Creator 
in  the  spiritual  world, — on  his  conquest  over  sin  and  death, — 
on  the  assurance  of  pardon  and  peace, — on  the  sanctifying 
graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit, — on  the  life  everlasting.  His  un- 
derstanding is  in  no  danger  of  being  led  captive  by  a  round  of 
formal  duties  ;  for  he  officiates  after  no  mechanical  formulary, 
he  is  engaged  in  no  dull  handling  of  earthly  elements.  The 
vessels  about  which  he  is  concerned  are  living  spirits,  vessels 
of  the  Holy  Ghost :  the  vestments  about  which  he  must  be 
careful,  are  the  robes  of  righteousness :  the  washings  with 
which  he  has  to  do,  is  the  laver  of  regeneration,  and  the 
washing  away  the  filth  of  a  bad  conscience  :  the  leprosy  on 
which  he  has  to  pronounce,  is  the  leprosy  of  sin  in  the  soul : 
the  temple  in  which  he  ministers,  is  the  church  of  God, — no 
building  of  stones  and  timber,  but  an  assembly  of  living  spi- 
rits :  the  altar  at  which  he  ministers,  is  not  made  of  earth, 
but  is  spiritual,  set  up  in  the  heart  of  the  spiritual  man :  the 
sacrifice  which  he  offers,  is  no  shedding  of  the  blood  of  bulls 
and  goats,  but  is  the  communion  of  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ,  taken  to  the  soal  with  praise  and  thanksgiving.  The 
knowledge  required  by  his  office,  is  no  minute  and  barren  in- 
formation on  rites  and  ceremonies,  it  is  the  knowledge  of  the 
heart  of  man,  and  of  the  spirit  of  God :  of  the  heart  of  man,  in 


110  ON  THE   PRIESTHOOD. 

order  to  detect  all  its  winding's  and  turnings,  and  so  dispel  all 
its  delusions  and  perverseness,  and  for  which  purpose  is  de- 
manded the  constant  watching*  of  his  own :  of  the  spirit  of 
God,  in  order  to  be  able  faithfully  to  unfold  his  will  and  coun- 
sel, for  which  purpose  he  must  diligently  search  the  Scrip- 
tures in  study,  in  meditation,  and  in  prayer.  All  the  duties, 
including  even  the  teaching  of  the  Jewish  priest,  were  con- 
fined to  the  temple,  and  these  in  fit  analogy  with  his  temporal 
covenant,  were  but  for  a  season  :  on  the  expiration  of  his 
course,  he  returned  to  his  proper  city,  to  a  life  of  religious 
ease  and  calm.  But  the  house  of  prayer  contains  but  a  frag- 
ment of  the  services  of  the  Christian  minister.  His  commis- 
sion comes  direct  from  heaven,  and  not  from  Mount  Sinai ; 
and  the  only  temple  which  includes  his  possible  duties  is  the 
wide  earth.  He  preaches  the  covenant  made  with  all  man- 
kind, and  not  with  Abraham  only ;  and  deputed  by  the  great 
Melchisedec,  has  his  charge  open  to  every  tribe  and  nation. 
His  commission  is  to  "  go,  teach  all  nations."  He  blows  a 
trumpet  not  on  Sion  only,  but  in  the  whole  earth,  and  pro- 
claims to  all  mankind  the  acceptable  year,  the  last  jubilee. 

Such  is  the  minister  of  the  Gcspel,  compared  with  the 
minister  of  the  law.  And  if  deep  responsibility  confer  honour, 
if  the  alternative  of  the  highest  crown  of  reward,  or  lowest 
degradation  of  punishment  bestow  importance,  then  indeed  is 
the  former  character  one  of  exceeding  dignity  :  but  it  is  a 
dignity  under  which  man  will  tremble,  and  not  triumph  ;  will 
humble  himself,  and  not  exalt.  He  is  not  a  master  amid  his 
brethren,  but  a  spiritual  servant,  to  diligently  watch  and  pro- 
vide for  their  wants,  and  be  within  the  continual  call  of  their 
spiritual  necessities.  The  greater  his  talents  the  more  ex- 
tensive is  the  service  which  he  is  bound  to  yield;  and  he 
must  put  the  whole  man,  in  body,  soul,  and  mind,  to  the 
work  ;  adding  to  faith  diligence,  and  to  dilio-ence  knowledgre  ; 

Till  ^  O' 

so  that  by  labouring  for  the  salvation  of  others,  he  even  thus 
strives  to  attain  his  own.  His  very  growth  in  usefulness  and 
diligence  will  also  increase  his  growth  in  humility  and  lowli- 
ness of  spirit,  since  his  sphere  of  duty  thus  enlarged  brings 
into  view  more  and  more  to  be  done,  and  makes  what  is  done 
appear  more  and  more  inadequate  to  that  which  ought  to  be 
done.  Well  may  he  exclaim,  in  the  words  of  the  apostle, 
"Wlio  is  sufhcient?"  (2  Cor.  ii.  16,)  many  and  manifold 
are  the  tempers  and  qualities  which  he  must  bring  to  liis 
work.     He  is  a  soldier  ever  engaged  in  a  spiritual  warfare  ; 


ON   THE   PRIESTHOOD.  Ill 

yea,  and  a  captain  in  that  warfare.     He  must  have  unwearied 
circumspection ;  be  ready  against  open  attack,  watchful  against 
secret  assault,  set  the  first  and  best  examples  of  patience  and 
hardihood,  perseverance  and  courage,  and  guide  and  sustain 
all  committed  to  his  charge,  in  every  trial  of  weariness,  of 
famine,  of  the  sword.     Then  again,  he  is  a  shepherd,  whose 
flock  is  feeding  far  and  wide,  over  which  he  must  watch  by 
day,  that  is,  in  easy  times,  lest  they  extend  their  pasture  into 
the  wilderness,  and  be  lost ;  and  which  he  must  gather  care- 
fully by  night,  when  times  of  difficulty  are  come,  and  watch 
lest   the  wolf  assail  the  fold.     He  is  a  husbandman  also, 
whom  God  hath  put  into  his  vineyard,  where  he  must  labour 
diligently  ;  digging,  watering,  and  dressing,  that  his  master 
may  receive  fruit  plentifully.     He  is  a  builder,  too,  a  builder 
of  God's  temple,  of  his  holy  church ;  of  which  he  must  study 
well  the  plan,  must  accurately  acquaint  himself  with  it,  put- 
ting into  practice  all  his  knowledge,  judgment,  and  charity, 
so  that  he  may  build  in  unison,  finish  his  portion  in  harmony 
with  the  glorious  v/hole  ;  working,  as  he  does,  in  co-operation 
with  builders  of  different  quarters  of  the  earth,  of  different 
ages ;  with  builders  of  this  world,  with  builders  of  the  world 
to  come.     He  is  a  fisher  too,  but  a  fisher  of  men,  whom  he 
must  gather  into  the  ship  of  salvation  from  the  depths  of  sin 
and  corruption ;  and  must  fearlessly  pursue  his  occupation  by 
day  and  by  night,  be  the  waters  of  the  world  troubled  or  still, 
reckless   of  its   monsters   below,  unappalled  by  its  pirates 
above.     When  engaged  on  shore,  it  will  be  in  mending  his 
nets,  that  is,  in  repairing  his  shaken  fortitude,  his  fainting 
perseverance,  his  failing  powers  of  persuasion,  his  exhausted 
knowledge.     Again  we  may  exclaim,  "  Who  is  sufficient  ?" 
not  the  will  of  man,  but  the  grace  of  God. 

Thus  have  I  endeavoured,  to  the  best  of  my  power,  to  draw 
out  before  you,  in  pursuance  of  my  plan,  a  sketch  of  the  priest- 
hood of  the  Church  of  God,  and  especially,  by  a  comparison 
of  the  Christian  priesthood  with  such  as  preceded  it,  to  show 
how  blessed  are  we  in  having  been  planted  in  the  church  of 
the  latter  days.  In  this,  as  in  the  former  respects,  it  main- 
tains its  striking  superiority:  we  are  brought  nearer  to  the 
Father  of  Spirits,  and  endued  with  far  higher  graces,  and 
more  lofty  privileges.  In  our  blessed  Saviour, — having  died 
for  our  sins,  and  risen  again  for  our  justification, — we  have  a 
priesthood,  through  whom  we  confidently  approach  the  throne 
of  grace  and  mercy ;  not  with  the  timid  crouching  of  the  par- 


112  ON   THE   PRIESTHOOD. 

doned  slave,  but  with  the  generous  openness  of  the  accepted 
son.  And  in  his  deputed  ministers  we  have  guides  and  in- 
structors on  the  road  of  salvation,  whom  he  hath  endued  with 
powers  and  opportunities  for  their  charge,  such  as  were  never 
committed  to  human  hands  before.  Not  a  single  want  is  left 
unsatisfied :  we  are  a  people  fully  equipped,  furnished  for  our 
journey  with  all  appliances.  Our  march  through  this  wilder- 
ness of  the  world  is  supplied  with  spiritual  manna  from  hea- 
ven ;  our  steps,  through  this  darkness  of  sin  and  woe,  are 
directed  by  a  spiritual  fire.  Let  us  not  provoke  God  by  in- 
gratitude, and  fall  in  the  wilderness ;  but  strive  to  enter  the 
promised  land,  which  Israel  won  only  in  the  flesh,  but  which 
awaits  the  faithful  Christian  in  the  spirit. 


113» 


DISSERTATION  VIII. 


ON  PRAYER. 

Unto  him  that  hath  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in 
his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God, 
and  his  Father :  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and 
ever. — Rev.  i.  5,  6. 

In  this  passage,  and  in  two  others  in  the  New  Testament, 
(Rev.  V.  9,  10 ;  1  Pet.  ii.  5,  9,)  Christians  are  termed  priests  : 
we  shall  understand  the  application  of  this  term  by  attending 
to  the  following  considerations  : 

I.  The  word  here  translated  priest,  is  not  presbyter,  but 
means  a  sacrificing  priest.  But  such'  a  priest,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  our  Saviour,  does  not  exist  in  the  Christian  Church, 
still  less  can  the  term  be  applied  to  Christians  in  general ;  it 
is,  therefore,  figurative,  as  the  word  "kings"  obviously  is. 

II.  The  figurative  sense  is  clearly  determined :  first,  from 
a  parallel  passage  in  the  Old  Testament,  (Exod.  xix.  6,) 
where  God  says  to  the  Jews,  "  Ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  king- 
dom of  priests,  and  a  holy  nation,"  Now  to  the  Jew,  having 
an  established  priesthood,  the  term,  thus  applied,  was  clearly 
metaphorical ;  and,  familiar  as  it  was,  would  convey  the  no- 
tion of  selection,  consecration,  sacrifice.  With  regard  to  the 
first  and  second,  every  Jew  was  a  figurative  priest,  from  his 
selection  from  the  rest  of  the  Avorld,  and  by  the  imputed  holi- 
ness consequent  on  this  selection ;  of  this  he  was  put  in  mind 
by  the  numerous  ordinances  to  remedy  uncleanness,  both  in 
individuals  and  the  whole  nation,  by  which  he  was  rendered 
fit  to  appear  before  God,  just  as  his  real  priest  was  qualified 
for  his  duties  by  purifications.  With  regard  to  his  sacrifice, 
we  have  only  to  see  to  what  things  Scripture  applies  this 
figure ;  and  on  turning  over  its  pages  we  find  mention  of  the 

XJ 


114  ON  PRAYEE- 

sacrifice  of  praise,*  of  thanksgiving-,!-  of  repentance,^  of 
rigliteousness,!]  of  charity  ;§  and  as  all  these,  outwardly  and 
inwardly,  are  comprised  in  praj^-er,  in  which  we  peculiarly 
make  an  oifering  of  our  thoughts  and  deeds,  our  souls  and 
bodies,  to  God,  we  may  understand,  in  one  word,  prayer  to 
be  this  figurative  sacrifice. 

What  w^as  applicable  to  the  Jew,  is,  of  course,  still  more  so 
to  the  Christian,  who  is  also  selected  from  the  rest  of  the 
w^orld,  (Rom.  xii.  1,  2,)  has  been  washed  and  consecrated  in 
the  laver  of  regeneration,  which  confers  purity  by  virtue  of 
the  sacrifice  of  Christ ;  even  as  the  prescribed  sacrifices  of 
purification,  and  especially  that  of  the  day  of  atonement,  ob- 
tained it  for  the  Jew.  This  is  the  consecration  by  Mhich  he 
ministers,  and  in  all  the  above-mentioned  passages  of  the  New 
Testament,  our  spiritual  priesthood  is  mentioned  as  a  conse- 
quence of  our  Redeemer's  sacrifice.  We  are  "  a  holy  priest- 
hood," says  St.  Peter,  "to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices  accept- 
able to  God,  through  Jesus  Christ."  And  our  sacrifice,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  Jew,  will  be  prayer,  proceeding  from  unfeigned 
lips,  and  from  a  clean  conscience.  And  this  our  daily  sacri- 
fice has  the  same  relation  to  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  as  our 
figurative  priesthood  to  his  real.  In  the  offering  of  the  one 
we  obtain  the  benefit  of  his  sacrifice,  in  the  character  of  the 
other  we  gain  the  intercession  of  his  priesthood. 

And  now,  is  it  not  grievous  to  think,  my  brethren,  that, 
while  prayer  is  ascending  every  day  from  millions  of  bosoms, 
so  few,  comparatively,  should  be  qualified  to  offer  it  1  All 
are  not  within  the  covenant  of  Christ;  therefore,  they  cannot 
be  spiritual  priests.  They  have  had  no  consecration,  they 
stand  not  within  the  temple,  which  is  the  Church  of  Christ. 
But  of  those  who  do  stand  within  the  temple,  are  all  indeed 
qualified  1  Are  they  truly  thankful,  truly  penitent,  truly  re- 
solved upon  holiness  of  life;  truly  impressed  with  the  efficacy 
of  the  intercession  of  the  great  High  Priest]  With  such  a 
mind  must  they  come,  in  such  robes  must  they  minister, 
such  incense  must  they  burn,  such  sacrifice  must  they  offer. 
This  most  important  duty  of  prayer,  this  high  privilege  of 
the  church  of  God,  it  is  now  my  intention  to  discuss;  and 
before  proceeding  after  my  plan,   to  compare  the  different 

*ncbr.  xiii.  15.  f  Jer.  xxxiii.  11.  :{:  Ps.  xxii.  17. 

II  Ps:  iv.  5.  §  Phil.  iv.  18. 


ON   PRAYER.  115 

Stages  of  that  church  under  this  head,  I  will  pause  to  explain 
more  exactly  its  nature. 

As  in  sacrifice  the  victim  became  peculiarly  the  property 
of  God,  so  in  the  sacrifice  of  prayer  we  peculiarly  abstract 
our  spirit  from  the  world,  and  yield  it  up  to  God;  and  we 
may  define  prayer  to  be  the  communion  of  our  souls  with 
God,  by  the  lifting-  up  of  our  hearts,  either  with  the  words  of 
the  lips,  or  in  the  aspirations  of  silence.  And  as  com- 
munion with  God  is  the  great  end  of  our  being,  it  is  plain 
that  to  this  act  we  must  bring  the  whole  man,  with  all  his 
gifts,  helps,  knowledge,  faculties,  and  privileges.  This  act, 
therefore,  is  the  putting  forth  of  our  powers  of  the  spiritual 
life,  of  which  we  are  then  conscious,  in  the  same  way  as  we 
are  of  our  mental,  when  we  task  our  memory,  or  exercise 
our  reflection  ;  as  we  are  of  our  bodily,  when  we  move  a  hand 
or  foot.  We  are  then,  and  only  then,  in  the  full  enjoyment 
of  all  our  blissful  powers  of  existence.  All  the  rest  of  our 
time  is  like  the  rest  and  the  sleep,  so  necessary  to  our  im- 
perfect frame  of  body  and  mind.  And  if,  in  the  body,  our 
waking  hours  influence  our  sleep,  furnishing  the  mind  with 
its  peculiar  train  of  dreaming  thought,  shall  not  these  waking 
hours  of  our  spirit  influence  the  rest  of  our  life  ?  What  trains 
of  glorious  and  blessed  meditation  shall  they  not  leave  be- 
hind! Into  what  an  excellent  arrangement  of  high  and 
solemn  thought  shall  they  not  have  framed  the  mind,  which, 
when  shut  out  from  this  its  more  immediate  connexion  with 
the  world  of  spirits,  may,  in  the  dream  of  earthly  life,  retain 
and  feed  upon  its  waking  recollections.  Oh !  sluggard,  in- 
deed, is  he,  who  is  unwilling  to  awake  to  so  glorious  a  day ! 

This  communion  with  God  implies,  of  course,  the  unre- 
served opening  of  our  hearts  to  him.  If  a  single  cell  be  kept 
closed,  it  is  a  wall  of  partition  between  us.  Then  it  is,  there- 
fore, that  we  ascertain  whereabouts  we  are  amid  the  wide  re- 
gions of  existence  ;  then  we  try  and  search  our  spirit ;  then  we 
sound  the  depth  of  our  affections  ;  then,  like  blossoms  to  the 
sun,  we  put  forth  all  our  understanding,  all  our  imagination, 
all  our  memory, — exercise  all  the  prerogatives  given  us  above 
the  rest  of  the  tribes  of  creation,  as  being  formed  in  the  image 
of  God.  Then,  therefore,  it  is,  that  coming  to  a  full  know- 
ledge of  ourselves,  and  having  our  faculties  quickened,  we 
acutely  discern  and  condemn  our  unholiness  and  infirmities  ; 
then  we  acknowledge  and  confess  our  unworthiness ;  and 
then  we  perceive  distinctly  the  unbounded  mercies  of  God, 


116  ON  PRAYER. 

and  rise  from  fear,  and  sorrow,  and  doubt, — to  hope,  and  love, 
and  joy.  Then  our  connexion  with  the  world  to  come,  our 
prize  of  immortality,  is  distinctly  assured.  Then  is  a  conver- 
sation going  on  between  us  and  our  God,  between  the  creator 
and  the  thing  created,  between  the  giver  and  the  receiver,  be- 
tween immortality  and  mortality ;  and  as  the  one  opens  his 
bosom,  the  other  pours  forth  his  treasure  into  it ;  as  the  one 
offers  homage  and  allegiance,  the  other  dispenses  his  royal 
bounties.  Such  communion  have  we  with  God,  through  our 
high  priest,  Jesus  Christ,  being  consecrated  priests  for  that 
purpose  by  his  sacrifice;  and  such,  in  the  prospective  \irtue 
of  that  sacrifice,  and  through  the  medium  of  representation, 
had  the  Jew. 

Prayer  consists  of  confession  of  sin,  of  thanksgiving  for 
mercies,  of  petition  for  either  the  continuance  or  increase  of 
blessings,  of  deprecation  for  the  removal  or  assuagement  of 
afflictions.  These  last  depend  entirely  for  their  success  on 
the  sincerity  of  the  two  first,  and  obtain  it  immediately,  or  at 
a  distance,  according  to  circumstances.  In  many  cases,  and 
those  the  most  important,  by  God's  blessed  economy,  the 
very  act  of  prayer  obtains  the  petition.  The  mind  is  brought, 
by  praying,  further  and  further  into  a  state  of  spiritual  bless- 
edness, until,  at  length,  the  utterance  of  the  lips,  entreating 
comfort  and  deliverance  from  temptation,  becomes  rather  the 
expression  of  the  heart,  which  at  that  moment  has  found  what, 
a  moment  before,  it  had  not,  than  of  a  sense  of  its  destitution. 
For  we  are  then  in  God's  temple ;  priests  ministering  at  liis 
altar,  with  eyes  and  ears  intent  upon  our  duty.  The  noisy 
w^orld  is  shut  out,  and  its  affliction  cannot  reach  him  whose 
mind  is  thus  excluded,  and  in  a  state  of  bliss  and  unchange- 
ableness.  Temptation  dares  not,  any  more  than  its  evil 
author,  intrude  before  the  presence  of  God.  Other  objects  of 
prayer  will  require  time,  because  they  admit  of  degrees  of 
perfection,  and  can  come  but  by  repeated  prayer.  Such  are 
a  certain  amount  of  grace,  of  knowledge,  of  wisdom ;  a  por- 
tion of  which,  insensible,  perhaps,  at  the  time,  is  imparted  at 
every  earnest  prayer :  and  if  we  have  faith  and  patience  to 
persevere  to  the  end,  we  shall  obtain  more  than  we,  in  the 
first  instance,  imagined  to  desire  ;  while  one  desire,  satisfied, 
will  awake  another  to  be  satisfied,  and  improvement  lead  on 
to  more  improvement.  Others,  again,  as  most  temporal  ob- 
jects, must  be  prayed  for  in  such  a  manner  as  must  interpose 
delay.     We  are  bidden  to  ask  the  greater,  in  order  to  obtain 


ox  Pr.AYER.  117 

the  less ;  the  heavenly,  in  order  to  obtain  the  earthly.  Thus 
they  will  seldom  come  immediate  or  singular,  but  in  their  ap- 
propriate season,  and  with  their  due  concomitants.  For  ex- 
ample, in  asking  for  length  of  life,  our  prayer  will  not  be 
directed  to  the  longer  enjoyment  of  it,  but  to  our  being  enabled 
to  bring  to  a  ripe  conclusion  the  great  work  of  life, — our  own 
sanctification.  If  we  ask  for  fruitful  seasons,  we  shall  not 
have  in  our  minds  the  luxurious  ease  and  plenty  which  they 
supply;  but  the  peace,  the  charity,  the  holy  leisure,  the 
thankfulness,  and  dedication  of  heart  to  God,  in  all  hope 
and  joy,  which  they  are  apt  to  dilTuse  among  us.  If  we  ask 
for  peace,  then  the  peace  of  our  particular  time  and  nation 
will  come  included  under  the  peace  of  the  reign  of  the  prince 
of  peace,  when  not  only  the  body,  but  the  spirit  too,  shall 
have  peace.  If  we  entreat  for  relations  and  friends,  it  will  be 
for  them  as  intimate  fellow-members  of  Christ's  church,  and, 
therefore,  for  their  spiritual  health  and  wealth,  in  the  train  of 
which  their  temporal  shall  follow  also.  Thus  we  shall,  in 
all  things,  obey  our  Lord's  charge,  "  to  pray  first  for  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  his  righteousness;"  and  we  shall  reap  his 
promise  also,  and  find  all  corresponding  temporal  blessings 
added  unto  them. 

According,  to  the  view  which  w^e  have  taken,  prayer  is  a 
special  privilege  accorded  to  men  by  express  revelation.  This 
will  further  appear  if  we  consider  the  requisites  to  its  efiicacy. 

I.  It  requires  a  special  promise  on  the  part  of  God  to  hear 
it,  and  a  knowledge  of  his  attributes  by  which  to  shape  it. 
To  prove  this  we  have  only  to  turn  to  those  among  the 
heathen,  whose  very  investigations  into  the  natures  of  God 
and  man,  led  them  to  conclude  the  inefficacy  of  prayer,  when 
addressed  to  the  supreme  God,  and  to  betake  themselves  to 
the  gods  of  their  country  as  mediators  between  him  and  them. 
The  notion  which  they  had  formed  of  him  being  derived  from 
a  severe  process  of  abstraction  from  every  thing  human,  eleva- 
ted indeed  the  understanding,  but  repelled  the  feelings.  There 
was  nothing  in  their  notion  of  him  to  which  they  could  plead. 
If  he  was  almighty  and  all-wise,  he  was  also  passionless  and 
unchangeable.  Hence  the  philosopher  contented  himself  with 
the  conception  of  this  being. 

II.  As  pra5''er  is  the  opening  of  the  heart  to  God,  telling 
out  its  hopes  and  fears,  these  must  have  some  object  presented 
by  God ;  for  the  telling  out  of  hopes  and  fears  on  purely 
worldly  matters,  is  unworthy  the  name.     But  how,  without 

L  2 


118  ON    PRAYER. 

revelation,  shall  man  have  these  spiritual  ohjects]  Another 
life  must  he  revealed,  fororiveness  of  sins  must  be  revealed. 
These  hold  out  the  only  lasting  objects  of  hope  and  fear  to  the 
human  mind ;  nor  without  the  knowledge  of  these  has  he 
either  the  wish  or  the  permission  to  approach  with  prayer, 
properly  so  called. 

III.  The  mind  must  have  some  manifest  acts  or  words  of 
God  upon  which  to  plead,  some  embodying,  as  it  were,  of  his 
abstract  attributes :  the  world  indeed  is  full  of  his  wondrous 
works,  but  yet,  as  we  know  from  tbe  case  of  the  heathen,  they 
do  not  come  home  to  men's  minds  in  that  individual  shape 
which  alone  can  interest  them.  They  seem,  also,  matters  of 
course,  and  may,  as  far  as  they  know,  administer  to  other 
beings  specially,  to  themselves  but  accidentally.  They  are, 
too,  as  far  as  they  affect  them,  but  of  the  present  hour.  Now 
to  their  view  whom  he  hath  called  by  revelation,  he  has 
proposed  mighty  deeds  of  the  past,  wrought  in  especial  in- 
terventions ;  and  again,  by  means  of  prophecy,  fixed  their 
eyes  on  glorious  works  of  mercy  to  come  :  so  that  wherever 
in  time  the  mind  may  place  itself, — in  past,  present,  or  future, 
— the  sight  is  full  of  objects  displaying,  and  particularly  di- 
recting upon  the  beholder  himself,  the  wisdom,  the  goodness, 
and  the  power  of  God  ;  not  in  abstract,  but  in  substance. 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  examine  the  comparative  advantages 
of  the  Patriarch,  Jew,  and  Christian.  The  Patriarch  had 
Paradise,  mouth  of  Adam  an  account  of  the  blissful  days  of 
from  the  and  of  the  intervention  of  God  at  the  fall ;  he  had 
also,  from  the  same  source,  the  prophecy  announcing  his 
restoration,  so  that  his  retrospect  and  prospect  was  bright 
with  heart-stirring  operations  of  God  in  his  especial  behalf; 
and  these  imparted  their  appropriate  colour  to  the  present  and 
ordinary  works  of  God  lying  before  his  eyes.  Thus  his  mat- 
ter was  abundant;  his  heart  had  sufficient  upon  which  to 
plead. 

But  comparatively  with  the  Jew,  he  was  distant  indeed. 
This  favoured  worshipper  could  call  upon  the  Almighty  as 
having  announced  himself  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and 
of  Jacob,  his  fathers.  God  had  intervened,  by  a  long  series 
of  most  signal  and  glorious  mercies,  and  held  up  to  his  eyes  a 
long  and  burning  train  of  prophecy,  growing  more  specific 
every  day.  The  very  land  in  which  he  was  living,  was  a 
testimony  and  pledge  of  his  peculiar  mercy  and  love;  and  all 
the  temporal  blessings  which  it  afforded   him,   came   thus 


ON  PLAYER.  119 

specially  from  God's  hands,  and  mingled  harmoniously  with 
the  great  mass  of  spiritual  mercies,  past  and  to  come.  He 
was  a  priest  indeed,  with  innumerable  offerings  to  lay  upon 
God's  altar ;  the  dedicatory  sacrifice  of  Solomon  did  not 
more  exceed  in  magnificence  that  of  Abel,  than  the  spiritual 
sacrifice  of  the  Jew,  considered  under  the  head  of  matter  for 
prayer,  did  that  of  the  patriarch.  How  beautiful,  how  glo- 
rious are  his  prayers;  the  great  body  of  them  is  still  put  up 
by  the  church  of  God,  which  is  still  in  the  enjoyment  of  his 
blessings. 

But  how  distant  indeed  was  he  compared  with  the  Chris- 
tian ;  the  Christian  has  all  the  glorious  past,  present,  and 
future  of  the  Jew  in  retrospect.  But  above  all,  God  has 
appeared  to  him  not  through  angels,  not  from  Mount  Sinai, 
but  in  human  flesh,  in  domestic  life.  The  Christian  can  ap- 
peal to  him  on  human  attributes,  on  tbe  love  which  he  himself 
entertains ;  on  the  mercy  which  he  himself  shows  ;  on  the 
justice  which  he  himself  administers.  He  can  appeal  to  one 
who  has  called  himself  not  the  God  of  his  fathers,  but  his 
brother  ;  so  that  our  High  Priest  mediates  not  only  directly 
and  officially  by  his  human  nature,  but  also  incidentally  and 
instrumentally  by  his  human  qualities ;  by  means  of  which 
we  can  feel  ourselves  one  with  him  who  is  one  with  the 
Father.  Our  retrospect,  in  addition  to  the  Jewish,  is  his  in- 
carnation and  whole  sojourn  on  earth;  his  crucifixion,  resur- 
rection, and  ascension.  Our  present  view  is  his  sitting  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  in  mediation  for  us,  together  with  all  the 
gifts  pouring  down  on  us  in  his  name  ;  our  prospect  is  his 
coming  again  in  judgment,  and  the  life  everlasting,  when  all 
his  glorious  promises,  still  due,  shall  have  been  fulfilled. 
Priests,  spiritual  priests  indeed  are  we,  rich  beyond  all  telling 
in  the  abundance  of  offerings  for  our  sacrifice ;  and  we  have 
received  a  fresh  and  special  ordination  from  God  in  those 
words,  (Job  xvi.  23),  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father 
in  my  name,  he  shall  give  it  you."  In  addition  to  all  this, 
he  has  provided  us  one  whose  help  shall  never  fail  to  make 
our  sacrifice  perfect,  the  advocacy  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which 
intercedeth  for  us  with  groans  which  cannot  be  uttered. 

To  illustrate  by  example  this  our  blessed  superiority,  let 
us  take  up  the  most  fervent,  the  most  explicit  of  such  Jewish 
praj'^ers  as  are  still  at  this  very  day  used  by  the  church  of 
Christ;  and  let  us,  if  possible,  divest  ourselves,  during  the 
perusal,  of  our  Christian  associations.     Let  what  was  dark 


120  ON   rRAfER. 

to  the  Jew,  be  dark  to  us ;  let  the  great  Redeemer  be  ob- 
scurely future,  and  not  gloriously  come.  Do  we  not  appear 
far  away,  even  where  the  Jew  felt  himself  to  be  most  near  1 
Now  let  us  take  up  the  prayer  again  with  our  eyes  open,  and 
our  heart  quick  to  all  our  spiritual  happiness  ;  read  it,  and 
then  close  with  the  words,  "  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord 
and  Saviour."  Are  we  not  brought  near  at  once,  taken  up  like 
Elijah  from  earth,  caught  up  like  the  apostle  to  the  third 
heaven  1  Here  is  indeed  one  great  reason,  exclusive  of  the 
intrinsic  merits  of  the  hymns,  why  the  Christian  church  has 
retained  so  much  of  the  praise  and  prayer  of  the  Jewish.  To 
all  who  are  diligent  to  understand,  it  carries  back  the  thoughts 
to  the  glorious  train  of  mercies  by  which  God  prepared  the 
way  of  our  dispensation,  reminds  us  of  our  eminently  supe- 
rior privileges,  and  every  expression  comes  to  the  heart  with 
a  sense  of  glorious  prophecy  most  gloriously  fulfilled,  and 
with  the  consciousness  of  ourselves  being  the  blissful  enjoy- 
ers  of  the  fulfilment. 

Such  being  our  means,  let  us  examine  oar  duty  on  the 
head  of  prayer,  which  we  shall  distinguish  into  private  and 
public. 

Most  of  what  may  be  said  (on  the  first  especially)  has 
been  already  anticipated.  We  have  been  both  commanded 
and  invited  to  pray.  Prayer  is  to  us  the  only  channel  of 
communication  with  God, — the  only  duty  in  which  we  point- 
edly fulfil  the  purpose  of  our  being, — the  only  acknowledged 
vehicle  of  his  gifts, — the  only  refuge  from  a  corrupt  and 
troublous  world.  Without  it  the  word  of  God,  sown  by  his 
teachers,  has  no  ground  in  the  heart  wherein  to  take  root ; 
without  it  we  are  mere  animals,  beasts  of  the  earth,  creatures 
of  rapine  and  prey. 

The  transition  to  the  consideration  of  the  objects  of  public 
prayer,  is  short  and  easy,  from  some  principal  duties  of  pri- 
vate. In  his  private  petitions,  the  individual  must  never  for- 
get that  he  is  one  of  many,  a  member  of  a  body,  through  the 
head  of  which  he  has  access  to  the  throne  of  grace  and 
mercy.  He  is  bound  to  many  brethren  in  the  unity  of  one 
altar,  one  faith,  one  baptism  ;  so  that  his  prayers  must  be 
directed  to  their  welfare  as  to  a  part  of  his  own,  and  even 
the  most  special  and  private  part  of  his  devotions  cannot 
leave  his  neighbour  out  of  all  consideration.  To  them  his 
conduct  for  good  or  bad  can  never  be  indifferent^  bodily  or 
morally ;  and  therefore  his  petitions  for  grace  to  amend  his 


ON  PRAYER.  121 

life  before  God,  will  include  the  desire  of  avoiding  of- 
fence before  men;  with  the  earnest  wish  to  build  up  his  fel- 
lows in  redemption,  so  that  every  thing  which  he  may  think, 
say  or  do,  may  tend  to  the  glory  of  God  and  his  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Here  then  is  a  close,  indissoluble  bond  between 
private  and  public  prayer.  Private  must  proceed  upon  the 
understanding  that  its  offerer  is  a  member  of  a  society,  and 
to  this  society  he  cannot  be  counted  to  belong,  if  he  shun  its 
assemblies.  He  cannot  put  up  petitions  for  the  brethren  in 
spirit,  if  he  avoids  their  spiritual  communion.  This  would 
be  like  thinking  to  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen,  and 
hating  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen.  Both  modes  of 
prayer  are  necessary  from  the  very  constitution  of  our  nature 
as  social  beings,  both  are  imposed  by  Christ's  ordinance, 
both  are  blessed  with  his  promise.  Just  as  the  Jewish  priest 
united  his  public  and  private  devotions,  and  offiered  first  for 
himself,  and  then  for  the  people ;  so  closely  united  must  the 
truly  spiritual  priest  maintain  his  private  and  public  offices, 
nor  deem  that  one  will  be  accepted  when  the  other  is  ne- 
glected. If  he  unite  not  the  two,  he  is  no  priest ;  he  has  no 
altar,  no  sacrifice,  no  temple. 

To  be  in  communion,  therefore,  with  the  invisible  church, 
we  must  be  in  communion  with  the  visible ;  to  be  in  com- 
munion with  Jesus  Christ  its  great  head,  with  all  the  angelic 
host  of  heaven,  with  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  we 
must  also  be  in  communion  with  the  brethren  who  are  la- 
bouring together  with  ourselves  in  the  infirmities  of  the  flesh, 
and  looking  for  help  to  the  same  Redeemer. 

For  this  assembling  ourselves  together  we  have  the  special 
promise  of  our  Lord,  that  where  two  or  three  are  met  together 
in  his  name,  there  is  he  in  the  midst  of  them;  and  for  ne- 
glecting such  assembling,  we  have  his  threats  of  casting  us 
out  of  his  church;  for  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  the 
apostle  of  Christ  strictly  charges  them  not  to  neglect  the  as- 
sembling of  themselves,  and  proceeds  to  show  that  such  ne- 
glect is  the  commencement  of  an  apostacy,  after  which  there 
remaineth  no  more  sacrifice  for  sin.  Now,  he  is  writing  to 
persons  M-ho  were  in  danger  of  this  sin  from  the  violence  of 
persecution  without.  Will  it  be  more  excusable  in  us,  who 
commit  it  from  inward  choice  1  In  them  the  spirit  was  will- 
ing, but  the  flesh  weak ;  in  us  not  even  the  spirit  will  be 
willing,  and  the  flesh  will  be  proud  and  rebellious.     They 


122  ON  PRAYER. 

would  err  from  severe  compulsion  of  pain ;  we  from  mere 
recklessness  and  wantonness  of  ease. 

The  benefits  of  public  prayer  may  be  discussed  as  received 
through  the  outward,  and  through  the  inward,  senses. 

Much  indeed  comes  through  the  outward.  Not  derived 
from  the  beauty  and  magnificence  of  the  temple ;  not  from 
showy  pomp  of  ceremonial ;  not  from  charms  of  song  and 
music,  and  other  stimulants  to  the  dull  senses,  which  rouse 
them  indeed  to  a  certain  degree,  but  often  prevent  them  effect- 
ually from  rising  higher,  by  constantly  rivetting  the  attention, 
and  intruding  objects  of  the  senses  on  the  moments  of  ab- 
straction,— the  sights  and  sounds  of  earth  on  the  contempla- 
tion of  heaven,  flesh  upon  spirit.  But  that  which  delights 
and  teaches  the  eyes,  is  the  sight  of  Christ's  flock;  that 
which  charms  and  instructs  the  ears,  is  the  sound  of  joint 
prayer.  When  we  thus  join  ourselves  in  uniformity  and 
equality  of  prayer,  all  of  different  stations,  different  pursuits, 
different  dispositions,  different  ages, — the  rich  and  the  poor, 
the  merchant  and  the  husbandman,  the  wise  and  the  weak, 
the  healthy  and  the  infirm,  the  young  and  the  old, — what  a 
varied  family  does  that  of  Christ  appear;  how  manifold  are 
our  wants,  and  how  surpassingly  great  his  power  and  loving- 
kindness  who  undertakes  to  supply  them  all, — who  sheds 
upon  each  of  them  his  appropriate  gift,  and  they  all,  in  dif- 
ferent tongues,  as  it  were,  tell  out  the  mighty  works  of  God. 
And  when  in  despite  of  all  the  obvious  differences  in  the 
flesh,  we  find  ourselves,  by  the  very  act  of  our  meeting,  all 
equal  and  alike  before  the  throne  of  God,  what  should  we 
reckon  of  such  differences,  but  as  mere  accidents,  utterly 
inessential  to  our  real  nature?  If  God,  who  made  us,  and 
knows  our  nature  to  its  inmost  recesses,  regard  them  not, 
why  shall  we  so  painfully  attend  to  them?  Such  differences, 
however,  will  act  still  more  beneficially,  if  they  act  but  as 
outward  fleshly  signs,  to  lead  us  to  think  of  most  important 
inward  spiritual  differences  ;  of  growth  or  diminution  of  grace, 
of  wealth,  of  poverty,  of  spiritual  knowledge,  of  performance 
or  neglect  of  God's  will,  of  the  understanding  or  ignorance 
of  his  word,  of  the  subjection  or  dominion  of  the  flesh,  of 
the  willingness  or  reluctance  of  the  spirit.  These  distinctions 
are  indeed  essentials,  and  no  accidents.  On  either  consider- 
ation, the  world  and  its  code  is  set  aside ;  and  faith  and  hope 
and  charity  bring  together,  whom  its  fraud,  its  hatred,  and 


ON  PRAYER.  123 

violence,   would  fain   keep   asunder.     Here,   therefore,    all 
boasting  of  the  flesh  is  humbled,  all  meekness  of  spirit  is 
exalted.     With  regard  to  the  inward,  as  the  very  sight  of 
assembled  men  is  deliohtful  to  him  who  has  been  long  soli- 
tary,  so  is  the  joining  of  our  spirits  in  prayer  to  each  one 
after  an  interval  of  lonely  meditation  and  prayer.     We  refresh 
ourselves,  as  it  were,  with  conversation,  and  with  the  exercise 
of    our   social  faculties   after   seclusion,  and  the   exclusive 
indulgence  of  our  individual.     And  assuredly,  if  interchange 
of  thought,  mutual  converse  and  debate,  the  participation  of 
pleasure  and  instruction,  the  imparting  of  advice  and  comfort, 
form   the   essentials    of   worldly  conversations, — so   do   the 
conscious  expression  of  mutual  wants,  confession  of  common 
sins,    partaking   of  common  forgiveness,    consolation,    and 
peace,  give  its  value  and  character  to  our  spiritual  conver- 
sation.    Such  conversation  is  that  which  pervades  the  society 
of  the  church  of  Christ,  at  those  seasons  when  it  assembles 
as  distinctly  such,  as  having  separated  itself  from  the  world 
and  its  lusts  and  cares,   and  thus  put  itself  into  exclusive 
unison  with  its  head,  forsaking  all  for  Him,  and  anticipating 
its  future  blissful  estate,  when,  without  a  spot  or  wrinkle  on 
her  garments,   she  shall  be  united  a  glorious  bride  to  the 
heavenly  bridegroom,  never-to  be  put  asunder.     At  her  time 
of  public  prayer  alone  can  she  enj  oy  an  unmixed  foretaste  of 
her  future  bliss  and  peace;   at  that  time  alone  can  each  of 
her  members  be  certain  of  enjoying  spiritual  fellowship  with 
his  brethren  of  the  life  to  come.     Then  all  the  hindrances 
which  the  world  interposes  to  the  unity  of  spirit  are  removed ; 
the  disruption  of  the  bonds  of  peace  is  closed  up,  for  its  pas 
sions  and  its  assaults  are  at  least  for  a  time  put  aside ;   then 
the  social  joy  of  the  spirits  of  the  saints  is  unfettered;  then 
the  charity,  which  is  the  prelude  to  the  links  of  love  which 
shall  bind  the  blessed  in  the  world  to  come,  is  assured.     We 
are  all  one  with  each  other,  by  being  one  with  him,  who  is 
one  with  the  Father. 

Can  any  one  therefore  imagine  that  he  shall  attain  to  the 
fellowship  of  the  saints  in  light  in  the  life  to  come,  who 
despises  its  preparatory  elements  in  this  life ;  can  he  indeed 
entertain  any  adequate  notion  of  it;  nay,  can  he  have  ever 
entertained  any  notion  at  all!  It  is  easy  for  any  one  to 
remark  upon  the  general  appearance  of  a  congregation,  and 
demand  what  ought  he  to  conclude  from  its  prevailing  list- 
lessness  and  inattention ;  whether  it  be  really  that  body  which 


124  ON  PRAYER. 

I  have  been  describing,  or  an  assemblage  of  unsanctified 
flesh  and  blood ;  and  ask,  if  the  latter,  what  becomes  of  the 
duty  which  has  been  enjoined  as  so  imperative  1  The  person 
who  is  thus  prejudiced,  before  he  enters  the  house  of  prayer, 
is  destitute  of  the  charity  which  he  should  carry  thither  in 
order  to  enjoy  its  benefits ;  and  he,  who  having  entered,  is  at 
leisure  to  remark  upon  his  neighbours,  has  gone  thither  to  as 
little  purpose.  But  were  it  certain  that  there  was  but  one, 
even  one  only,  who  was  sincere  in  his  attendance  there,  this 
would  not  excuse  his  neglect ;  with  that  one  brother  he  may 
have  joined  his  spirit,  and  where  even  two  or  three  are  met 
together  in  Christ's  name,  there  is  he  amidst  them.  To  ex- 
cuse himself  therefore  at  all,  this  person  must  be  certain 
that  not  one  single  supplicant  in  the  house  of  prayer  is 
sincere.  It  may  be  asserted  that  a  supposition  so  dreadfully 
uncharitable  could  never  enter  into  the  mind  of  a  man  who 
was  in  the  least  capable  of  sharing  any  spiritual  intercourse 
with  a  brother;  hardened  must  be  the  heart,  and  blinded 
indeed  the  understanding,  of  such  an  arguer.  The  world 
had  never  before  received  such  an  invitation  to  public  prayer 
as  our  Saviour  has  given  in  his  memorable  promise  just 
quoted.  How  diiferent  from  the  authoritative  injunction  upon 
the  Jew.  "Three  times  a  year  shall  thy  males  appear  before 
me!"  And  how  different  the  mode  of  his  presence!  Not 
as  to  a  gross  people,  in  the  substance  of  a  sensible  glory, 
but  as  to  a  spiritual  people,  in  the  spirit ;  not  limited  to  place, 
as  that  was  to  the  temple;  not  limited  to  time,  as  the 
approach  to  that  was.  The  Jew  was  told  to  fear  the  Lord 
his  God,  as  a  servant.  We  are  bidden  to  love  the  Lord  our 
God,  as  sons.  He,  therefore,  was  commanded  to  approach, 
as  to  a  haughty  and  imperious  king,  through  a  long  series  of 
formal  delays  interposed  by  ceremonies  of  purification  and 
sacrifice.  But  us  he  calls  immediately  to  his  presence,  as  a 
parent  his  children :  our  purification  has  been  made  by  wash- 
ing of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  our  sacrifice  has  been  offered  by  our 
High  Priest  Jesus  Christ;  and  his  ears  are  ever  open  to  our 
prayers. 


125 


DISSERTATION  IX. 


ON    REPENTANCE. 


When  the  wicked  man  turneth  away  from  Ms  wickedness  that 
he  hath  committed,  and  doeth  that  which  is  lawful  and  right j 
he  shall  save  his  soul  alive. — Ezek.  xviii.  27. 

The  Jewish  prophet  has  here  furnished  a  complete  definition 
of  repentance,  applicable  to  every  period  of  the  church  of 
God.  According'  to  this,  it  consists  of  two  parts ;  one  of 
which  is  the  turning  away  from  his  wickedness,  the  other  is 
the  doing  that  which  is  lawful  and  right :  in  other  words,  it 
implies  the  turning  away  from  the  world,  and  the  turning  to- 
wards God.  And  he  has  crowned  his  statement  with  a  de- 
claration of  the  blessing  which  God  has  promised  upon  such 
a  change,  even  of  the  salvation  of  the  sinner,  through  the  re- 
mission of  his  sins.  These  three  heads  of  this  most  important 
doctrine  must  be  carefully  distinguished,  because  they  have 
no  necessary  connexion  with  each  other,  none  which  man's 
reason  could  lead  him  to  discover.  It  is  God's  free  mercy 
which  binds  them  together, — it  is  his  revelation  which  assures 
us  of  their  union ;  and  the  knowledge  and  acknowledgment  of 
their  connexion  is  one  among  those  vital  diiferences  which 
have  ever  distinguished  the  sons  of  God  from  the  children  of 
the  world,  which  set  apart  the  sons  of  Shem  from  the  sons  of 
Ham,  the  Israelite  from  the  Gentile,  and  the  Christian  from 
the  Heathen. 

That  this  is  the  nature  of  their  connexion,  will  appear 
from  a  very  few  considerations. 

I.  A  man  may  forsake  former  sins,  and  yet  not  turn  to 
God.  The  world,  at  some  point  or  other,  ever  disgusts  its 
votaries ;  ever,  if  they  live  but  long  enough  to  make  a  cer- 
tain progress  in  its  delights ;  and  the  same  palling  satiety 
M 


126  ON   REPENTANCE. 

which  has  dismissed  successive  objects  of  appetite,  at  length 
takes  away  the  appetite  itself.  But  many  circumstances 
continually  intervene  to  abridge  or  prevent  so  long  an  indul- 
gence of  sin.  Men  are  deterred  by  a  sense  of  their  own  in- 
terest,— by  a  regard  to  worldly  reputation, — by  apprehension 
of  temporal  consequences, — by  accidents  which  put  it  out  of 
their  power,  however  the  will  may  be  at  hand,  such  as  want 
of  means,  absence,  infirmity,  old  age.  In  all  such  cases,  the 
foregoing  of  sin  is  no  more  an  act  of  obedience  to  God,  than 
is  its  termination  at  their  death,  which  cuts  off  all  oppor- 
tunities of  sin  at  once  and  for  ever.  Sin,  which  would  sup- 
ply a  particular  gratification  to  the  body,  is  renounced  in 
favour  of  a  superior  gratification,  or  is  put  beyond  their 
reach.  Nay,  men  may  not  only  abandon  sin,  but  even  be 
sorry  for  it,  without  turning  to  God.  Its  consequences  may 
be  such  as  to  make  them  ashamed  of  their  folly,  to  smart 
under  chastisement,  and  therefore  to  loathe  the  remembrance 
of  it,  deeming  it  a  grievous  and  intolerable  burden.  And  yet 
this  shall  amount  to  nothing  better  than  the  painfiil  and  dis- 
tracting feeling  of  remorse,  which  arises  from  the  conscious- 
ness of  having  wilfully  thrown  away  our  own  happiness. 
Thus  far  went  Cain,  thus  far  went  Pharaoh,  thus  far  went 
Saul,  thus  far  went  Judas  ;  yea,  and  thus  far  went  even  the 
devils  in  hell,  and  are  going  still  farther, — and  yet  to  all 
eternity  will  never  arrive  at  the  second  stage  of  repentance. 
So  far  from  it,  that  their  deepening  remorse  only  deepens  the 
depth  of  that  tremendous  gulf  which  separates  them  from  the 
bliss  of  God's  presence.  Though,  therefore,  sorrow  for  sin 
be  indeed  in  the  road  to  repentance,  we  no  more  on  that  ac- 
count advance  towards  it,  than  we  do  to  the  leading  object  of 
a  road,  by  merely  being  upon  it.  Though  it  be  indeed  the 
first  step,  we  no  more  on  that  account  pass  beyond,  than  the 
person  who  chances  to  place  his  foot  on  the  lowest  step  of 
the  flight  of  stairs  which  leads  to  the  door  of  God's  temple, 
therefore  enters  it.  That  step  we  may  have  taken  to  avoid 
the  pressure  of  a  crowd,  or  to  abridge  our  road ;  and,  lying 
in  a  frequented  thoroughfare,  it  may  be  trodden  in  the  course 
of  the  day  by  thousands,  not  one  of  whom  turns  to  tread  the 
next  above.  Yet  how  common  is  the  error  of  mistaking  this 
kind  of  sorrow  for  a  godly  sorrow ;  and  how  many  have 
deemed  themselves  at  peace  with  God,  merely  because  they 
were  at  war  with  the  world. 

II.    Neither  is  there    any   necessary   connexion  between 


ON   REPENTANCE.  127 

addressing-  ourselves  to  God,  and  obtaining  his  forgiveness. 
Gross  and  carnal  minds  may  indeed  imagine  that  God's  in- 
dignation may,  like  the  wrath  of  proud  and  vengeful  man,  be 
appeased  by  sorrow  and  submission,  or  even  be  bought  off 
by  costly  offerings.  But  acute  and  disciplined  intellects  ar- 
rive at  a  very  different  conclusion.  They  see  in  God  a 
power,  which  has  no  need  of  sympathizing  with  the  weak- 
ness of  man  ;  a  holiness,  which  can  admit  of  no  compromise 
with  unholiness ;  a  supremacy,  which  can  brook  no  particle 
of  rebellion;  a  justice,  which  cannot  take  into  favour  an  of- 
fender; and  a  mercy,  which,  in  the  narrow  glimpses  obtained 
by  them,  serves  but  to  perplex  and  confound  them,  seeing  it 
shed  the  rain  upon  the  just  and  upon  the  unjust.  How  shall 
they  hence  conclude  the  forgiveness  of  sin  ]  Such  men, 
therefore,  in  their  sorrow  for  the  commission  of  sin,  would 
rather  turn  away  from  God  than  seek  him,  unless  it  be  na- 
tural for  man  to  seek  punishment.  Revelation  it  is,  (as  we 
have  before  shown,)  which  alone  assures  us  that  the  turrdng 
to  God  shall  win  his  forgiveness. 

The  mercy  of  God,  thus  stepping  into  these  two  intervals, 
and  thus  blending  into  one,  what  were  otherwise  utterly  un- 
connected, now  gives  rise  to  two  considerations  ;  first,  on  the 
general  promise  of  pardon  to  the  penitent,  and  next,  on  God's 
special  call  upon  the  individual  to  turn  and  repent. 

I.  The  revelation  of  forgiveness  on  repentance  is  necessa- 
rily coeval  with  the  church  of  God,  which  is  founded  upon  it ; 
its  declaration  comes  to  us  included  in  the  promise,  made  to 
Adam,  of  a  Redeemer;  nor  had  Adam  been  in  a  fit  state  to  be 
party  to  the  covenant  into  which  God  then  entered  with  him, 
were  he  not  in  a  state  of  penitence.  The  promise  was  farther 
daily  repeated  to  him  in  the  typical  rite  of  sacrifice,  which  he 
daily,  with  contrite  confession  of  sin,  offered  for  himself  and 
his  family,  and  which  was  thus,  at  once,  an  assurance  and  a 
■  vehicle  of  pardon :  we  need  not  then  go  farther  to  seek  in- 
stances of  this  doctrine  in  the  patriarchal  church,  and  will 
only  quote  the  beautiful  passage  of  Job,  in  which  it  is  so  af- 
fectingly  put  forth.  "  If  thou  prepare  thine  heart,  and  stretch 
out  thine  hands  towards  him ;  if  iniquity  be  in  thine  hand, 
put  it  far  away,  and  let  not  wickedness  dwell  in  thy  taberna- 
cles ;  then  truly  shalt  thou  lift  up  thy  face  without  spot,  and 
shalt  be  stable,  and  shalt  not  fear,  but  thou  shalt  forget  thy 
misery,  and  remember  it  as  waters  that  are  past." — (xi.  13, 


188  ON   REPENTANCE. 

&c.)  We  need  not  seek  instances  of  its  declaration  in  the 
next  covenant,  when  God,  not  only  through  the  daily  sacri- 
fice, but  also  through  the  mouth  of  his  prophets,  was  calling 
his  people  to  repent  and  be  forgiven ;  how  completely  it  was 
declared,  the  passage,  chosen  for  the  text,  bears  witness. 
All  that  remained  obscure  was  the  cause  for  which  God  be- 
stoweth  this  precious  boon  of  pardon,  and  this  portion  flashed 
into  glorious  and  dazzling  light  by  the  revelation  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ. 

Being  the  very  fundamental  doctrine  of  his  church,  God 
has  solemnly  promulgated  it  at  the  opening  of  each  new  dis- 
pensation; and  this  was  still  more  necessary,  because  at  those 
periods  mankind  had  fallen  into  a  very  general  apostacy. 
Noah,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  proclaimed  it  before  the 
flood,  which  began  a  new  stage  of  the  patriarchal  church. 
Israel  was  commanded,  on  the  day  previous  to  the  delivery  of 
the  law  from  Mount  Sinai,  to  sanctify  himself  for  to-day  and 
to-morrow,  and  wash  his  clothes,  (Exod.  xix.  19,)*  in  which 
charge,  assuredly,  every  pious  mind  would  understand  much 
more  than  a  dress  of  outward  purity,  in  which  to  appear  be- 
fore the  visible  glory  of  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts.  He  would 
understand  that  the  heart  mast  be  clean,  and  not  the  garments 
only;  and  how  shall  the  heart  be  cleansed,  but  by  repenting 
and  turning  unto  God  1  We  ourselves  are  praising  and  im- 
ploring God  under  that  very  covenant,  whose  harbinger  cried 
out  to  the  whole  world,  "  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand !"  and,  at  a  signal  time,  indeed,  was  this  procla- 
mation made ;  the  whole  world,  Jewish  and  Gentile,  was 
apostate,  while  the  last  veil  was  going  to  be  taken  off  from 
God's  mystery  of  salvation ;  the  real  substantial  sacrifice  was 
going  to  be  offered,  mankind  was  going  to  be  openly,  palpa- 
bly, convicted  of  sin,  by  the  suffering  of  the  promised  Re- 
deemer on  the  cross.  Men  are,  therefore,  by  this  last  procla- 
mation, called  to  repentance,  in  such  a  manner  as  they  never 
were  before ;  and  such  as  neglect  its  summons  will  sin  in 
such  a  manner  as  never  did  offender  before. 

II.  But  vain  had  been  the  warning  voice  of  proclamation, 
had  God  gone  no  farther ;  it  had,  indeed,  been  a  voice  crying 
in  the  wilderness,  it  had  been  a  shouting  in  the  ears  of  the 
deaf,  it  had  been  commanding  the  dead  to  rise,  without  im- 

*  See  also  Dent.  xxx.  3. 


'  ON  REPENTANCE.  129 

parting  to  them  the  power  of  life.  But  God,  in  calling  upon 
man  to  repent,  has  also  enabled  him  to  do  it  by  special  means, 
which  it  is  now  time  to  consider. 

So  little  is  man  able  to  furnish  himself  with  the  requisite 
means,  so  entirely  do  they  come  from  God,  that  in  more 
places  than  one  Scripture  mentions  repentance  as  a  gift  of 
God  :  it  is  so,  in  whatever  way  we  view  it. 

I.  Let  us  view  it  as  supplied  by  the  channel  of  the  ordinary 
visitations  of  Providence.  God,  at  the  very  moment  of  turn- 
ing the  Christian's  face  away  from  the  world  by  any  visit- 
ation, invites  him  by  the  act  to  turn  it  upon  himself  in  hea- 
ven. This  should  seem  to  be  as  necessary  an  alternative  as 
darkness  and  light.  To  him,  therefore,  God  makes  immediate 
appeal  in  every  event  which  raises  his  dissatisfaction  with 
the  world  ;  and  the  visitation,  however  temporally  severe,  is 
spiritually  considered  a  gift  of  golden  price  indeed.  The 
wounds  inflicted  are  but  the  openings  through  which  he  pours 
in  his  oil  and  balm.  And  not  only  does  he  call  us  to  himself 
by  calling  us  away,  by  dissatisfaction  with  the  world,  by 
sickness,  want,  sorrow,  and  anguish ;  but  oftentimes  also  by 
a  spirit-stirring  note,  which  completely  draws  off  our  attention 
for  the  time  from  the  voice  of  the  world,  he  invites  us  directly 
to  himself, — by  unhoped  for  restoration  to  health  or  wealth, 
unexpected  rescue  from  danger,  unlooked-for  happiness,  and 
by  innumerable  occurrences  in  Avhich  the  thankful  and  devout 
heart  is  ready  to  acknowledge  God's  special  intervention. 
And  thus  it  is,  that,  on  this  side  and  on  that,  above  and  be- 
low, trumpeted  heralds  of  God  are  set  to  summon  us  to  re- 
pentance ;  and  if  we  neither  hear  them  nor  see  them,  we  have 
foregone  the  commonest  principles  of  our  spiritual  nature ; 
we  have  subdued  even  that  elementary  curiosity  which  is  ne- 
cessary to  the  maintenance  of  its  existence ;  we  have  severed 
the  golden  chain  by  which  God  would  hold  us  to  him,  in  our 
wanderings  in  this  wilderness  below. 

II.  It  will  appear  still  more  specially  a  gift,  if  we  proceed 
from  the  consideration  of  these  loud  and  obvious  calls,  to  that 
of  the  still  small  voice  by  which  he  sometimes  addresses  us 
much  more  effectually.  These  occasions  are  far  more  nume- 
rous than  the  world  is  apt  to  imagine.  How  often  can  a  man 
date  his  change  of  heart,  and  turning  to  God,  from  something 
which,  to  all  other  eyes,  and  even  to  his  own,  at  any  other 
time,  appears  trivial  and  inadequate  to  so  great  a  consequence ; 
but  what  more  trivial  than  a  burning  bush  :  yet  God  was  in 

M  2 


130  ON  REPENTANCE. 

that  bush,  speaking  to  the  salvation  of  Israel ;  and  here  is 
God,  in  the  occurrence,  calling  the  sinner  to  escape  from  his 
worse  than  Egyptian  bondage.     An  object  contemplated  but 
■with  passing  attention ;  a  word  from  a  person  not  looked  up 
to  with  any  particular  reverence ;  a  trifling  accident  in  our 
way  which  we  scarce  recked    of;  a  passage  of  Scripture 
fraught  with  no  obviously  superior  importance,  and  turned 
out  by  apparently  the  merest  chance  ;  these  have  often  been 
the  holy  ground  on  which  God  hath  chosen  that  his  spirit 
should  meet  our  spirit :  and  what  had  else  suggested  but  a 
random,  momentary  thought,  being  now  the  vehicle  of  his 
grace,  has  entered,  abided,  and  leavened  the  whole  mass  of 
feeling  and  of  understanding.     Of  such  vehicles  of  God's  pre- 
venting grace,  who  has  not  heard   from  the  testimony  of 
others  ;  of  their  existence  who  can  doubt,  if" he  attend  to  the 
internal  motions  of  his  mind,  and  observe  how  continually  our 
thoughts  arise,  independent  of  any  call  of  our  own "?     Some 
one  may  here  object,  that  if  this  grace  of  God  calling  us  to 
repentance,  be  thus  independent  of  us,  what  need  have  we  to 
exert  ourselves ;  why  not  sit  down,  and  await  at  leisure  its 
proper  and  appointed  season  1     It  is  not  here  the  place  to  can- 
vass the  ways  by  which  God  works  together  with  us  :  how 
the  free  agency  of  the  latter  is  the  instrument  of  the  former, 
and  the  constraint  of  God  is  the  choice  of  man.     It  will  be 
suflicient  to  ask,  whoever  delayed  to  raise  his  hand,  or  stir  his 
foot,  from  the  conviction  that  God's  operation  was  necessary 
to  enable  him  so  to  do.      Experience,  in  this  case,  has  certi- 
fied to  us  that  we  can  so  do,  and  God's  express  promise  in  the 
other  ought  equally  to  assure  us  that  our  exertion  will  be  at- 
tended with  God's  co-operation.     If  God  sometimes  calls  us 
when  not  exerting  ourselves,  what  is  this  but  an  argument 
that  he  will  so  much  the  more  assist  us  when  we  are  exerting 
ourselves  T     If  God  sometimes  intervenes  to  insert  a  holy 
thought  in  a  train  not  directed  to  him,  will  he  not  ever  sanc- 
tify with  his  grace  a  train  which  is  directed  to  him  ]     If  a 
grain  of  wheat  chance  to  spring  up  occasionally  in  our  field, 
shall  we,  therefore,  neglect  to  sow  ]     The  instances  which 
prove  to  us  the  preventing  grace  of  God,  should,  in  like  man- 
ner, stir  us  up  to  ensure  it  by  those  exertions  by  which  we 
are  conscious,  through  God's  promise,  that  we  can.     Sinners, 
indeed,  often  find  themselves  so  far  fallen  away,  as  to  feel  con- 
vinced that  nothing  less  than  some  special  intervention  of 
.  God  can   recall   them :    they  become,  therefore,   desperate. 


ON  REPENTANCE.  131 

And  yet  which  of  them,  in  a  long  and  dangerous  sickness, 
from  whicli  he  felt  that  nothing  less  than  God's  special 
mercy  could  raise  him,  ever  neglected  all  human  means  of  res- 
toration to  health  1  Much  more  reasonably  may  they  (not 
with  a  faint  hope,  but  in  full  reliance  on  God's  recorded  pro- 
mise) avail  themselves  of  the  means  which  he  has  put  into 
their  power. 

III.  And  more  special  does  this  gift  become,  in  proportion 
to  the  length  of  time  which  we  have  suffered  to  glide  by  with- 
out applying  ourselves  to  the  ordinary  and  offered  means  of 
obtaining  it.  As  in  every  other  case,  so  in  that  of  change  of 
mind, — the  opportunities  presented  to  us  for  effecting  it,  di- 
minish to  our  perception,  in  number  and  importance,  as  we 
proceed  further  and  further  in  slighting  them.  Thus  a  por- 
tion of  them  perishes  to  us  daily,  neither  can  any  art  or  con- 
trivance of  man  recall  them.  As  well  may  the  greybeard 
demand  back  from  the  grave  the  mates  of  former  years,  as 
endeavour  to  resuscitate  these  golden  attendants  upon  his  bet- 
ter days.  He  is  left  alone,  abandoned  both  by  one  and  the 
other ;  he  has  outlived  them  all.  Our  experience,  both  from 
without  and  from  within,  tells  us  that  this  miserable  destitu- 
tion must,  in  too  many  cases,  occur.  The  most  vigilant 
among  us  has  to  weep  over  opportunities  neglected  and  irre- 
vocable :  what  then  has  been  the  loss,  how  incalculable  in 
price  and  amount,  to  the  reckless ;  to  those  who,  ever  intent 
on  the  present  hour,  neither  looked  for  warning  wisdom  to  the 
past,  nor  for  cautious  foresight  to  the  future ;  whose  whole 
life  was  to-day, — to  whom  there  was  neither  yesterday  nor 
morrow ;  who  lay  like  a  dead  body,  fixed  in  one  spot,  passive 
to  all  accidents,  unconscious  of  the  past  life,  insensible  to 
the  life  to  come  1  But  behold  the  overpowering  mercy  of 
God !  Is  health,  after  a  long  and  desperate  sickness  ;  is  pros- 
perity, after  a  weary  period  of  severe  distress  ;  is  joy,  after 
nights  and  days  of  deep  and  prolonged  sorrow, — are  these 
reckoned  special  gifts  of  God's  intervention  1  What  then  shall 
we  think  of  his  raising  the  sinner's  spirit,  which  has  been 
long  bowed  down  to  the  very  dust  of  this  carnal  world  1  Is 
it  not  the  miraculous  raising  of  the  crooked  cripple ;  is  it  not 
a  spiritual  resurrection  of  the  dead  1  Taken  in  every  view, 
therefore,  repentance,  coming  to  a  sinner,  is  a  special  and  sig- 
nal gift  of  Gk)d  :  it  is  a  gTace  which  we  cannot,  any  more  than 
any  other,  confer  upon  ourselves  ;  and  yet  is  so  far  from  be- 
ing placed  beyond  our  reach,  that  we  may  rather  say  that  it 


132  ON  REPENTANCE. 

has  been  most  anxiously  intruded  into  it;  while  at  the  same 
time  it  argues  the  utmost  infatuation  of  recklessness  to  ne- 
glect its  opportunities,  under  the  notion  that  we  can  recall  them 
at  will. 

Having  thus  considered  the  call  to  repentance,  let  us  pro- 
ceed to  discuss  the  work  itself,  beginning  from  the  second 
stage  of  it,  in  which  the  heart,  now  partly  weaned  from  the 
world,  first  addresses  itself  to  God.  Of  the  heart  I  have 
spoken,  as  being  but  partly  weaned  at  this  stage ;  and  we 
should  be  much  mistaken,  and  most  grievously  discouraged, 
did  we  imagine  repentance  to  be  of  a  day,  and  not  of  years. 
Its  two  elements,  namely,  the  renunciation  of  the  world,  and. 
the  conversion  to  God,  being  both  gradual,  of  course  the 
whole  is  gradual  likewise. 

I.  With  regard  to  the  first,  let  us  only  reflect  how  mani- 
fold and  how  intricate  are  the  bonds  of  entanglement  by 
w^hich  the  world  holds  us  captive.  They  are  not  only  bonds 
of  strong  and  wayward  passion,  links  of  iron  and  brass,  ob- 
vious and  palpable  to  the  dullest  sense ;  but  they  are  also 
fine  and  silken,  an  intricate  net-work,  so  subtle  as  to  escape 
our  unpurified  eye  :  bonds  formed  by  the  gentlest  affections, 
by  the  most  amiable  feelings,  which  sit  so  easy,  so  accom- 
modate themselves  to  all  our  motions,  that  we  imagine  our- 
selves free.  Here  lies  the  pith  of  our  resistance  to  the 
world;  here  is  the  crisis  of  our  struggle.  How  many  per- 
sons, for  instance,  who  would  maintain  the  dictates  of  their 
conscience  most  manfully  against  open  force,  yet  have  yielded 
them  to  gentle  influence :  how  many,  w^ho  would  turn  with 
abhorrence  from  a  direct  and^  open  temptation  to  sin,  have 
been  drawn  into  it  by  indirect  and  covert  invitation :  how 
many,  who  blamed  or  pitied  a  neighbour  whom  they  saw 
under  its  gross  and  open  tyranny,  have  all  the  while  been 
equally  under  its  invisible  power.  To  escape  from  such 
bonds,  requires  two  qualities  bestowed  by  God's  grace,  both 
of  them  of  gradual  growth  ;  discernment,  to  see  those  secret 
ties,  and  resolution,  to  snap  them  asunder.  These  will  grow 
stronger  and  stronger  by  exercise ;  and  exercise  they  will 
have,  to  the  end  of  life,  until  its  last  thread  be  broken. 

II.  With  regard  to  the  second,  ask  of  those  who  have 
been  long  in  the  habit  of  keeping  God  before  their  minds ; 
hear  them  confess  how  unsteady,  after  all  their  aspirations, 
is  the  hold  of  their  sight  upon  him ;  how  the  due  notion  at 
which  they  would  arrive,  floats  and  flickers  before  them ;  in 


ON   REPENTANCE.  133 

what  perplexity  they  find  themselves,  when  endeavouring  to  se- 
lect it  out  and  make  it  the  leading  ijdea,  amid  the  less  worthy 
and  tumultuary  crowd  which  is  hurrying  through  their  bo- 
som ;  hear  them  acknowledge  to  what  various  and  singular 
expedients  they  are  often  obliged  to  resort,  in  order  to  rouse 
their  dull  feelings,  and  express  in  their  minds  a  due  sense  of 
his  continual  presence;  an  adequate  apprehension  of  his 
awful  attributes  of  majesty,  power,  holiness,  and  justice;  or 
a  proper  estimate  of  his  exceeding  loving-kindness  and 
mercy.  If  such  be  the  case  with  those  who  are  far  advanced 
on  their  course  of  amendment,  how  must  it  be  with  him  who 
confronts,  as  it  were,  his  God  for  the  first  time  1  Brought 
from  outer  darkness  into  the  intolerable  blaze  of  the  majesty 
of  his  presence,  what  can  be  his  feeling,  but  that  of  over- 
powering fear,  which,  for  the  moment,  sees  no  other  attri- 
butes in  God  but  inevitable  ubiquity,  inexorable  justice? 
This,  however,  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,  and  as,  in  God's 
moral  economy,  chastisement  introduces  happiness ;  so  in 
his  spiritual,  horror  and  dismay  usher  in  the  sense  of  his 
gentle  attributes  of  mercy,  love,  and  forgiveness,  which  ar- 
rive, in  the  end,  in  company  with  hope.  So  then  here  is  a 
progressive  state  from  fear  to  love,  the  penitent  casting  out 
every  day  somewhat  of  the  first,  in  proportion  as  he  imbibes 
of  the  second.  Penitence  becomes  thus  gradually  a  more 
calm  and  staid  quality,  but  at  the  same  time,  it  deepens  in 
feeling,  for  the  growing  purity  of  the  bosom,  arising  from  the 
grace  of  our  communication  with  God,  makes  us  daily  more 
sensible  to  the  iniquity  of  our  former  sins  ;  the  lightness  of 
our  yoke  reminds  us  more  strongly  of  our  previous  burden ; 
our  improving  obedience  sets  in  deeper,  darker  contrast,  our 
previous  disobedience ;  our  deepening  consciousness  of  his 
mercy  makes  us  more  ashamed  of  having  formerly  slighted 
it ;  and  our  brightening  notions  of  all  his  attributes,  make  us 
more  and  more  astonished  at  our  infatuated  recklessness, 
which  could  so  long  have  trifled  with  them.  Thus  fresh 
objects  of  repentance  are  daily  rising  to  the  view  of  the  peni- 
tent, witnesses  of  the  corruption  of  heart  in  which  he  has 
been  so  long  sunk,  which  will  continue  prophesying  to  him 
in  sackcloth  and  in  ashes  to  the  last.  From  them  he  re- 
ceives a  daily  rebuke,  from  them  turns,  fully  humbled,  to 
supplicate  the  God  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  mercies  each 
day  turns  his  mourning  into  joy :  the  wounds  which  he  now 
bears  being  no  longer  the  effect  of  present  sins,  but  the  im- 


134  ON   REPENTANCE. 

pression  of  the  sorrowful  memory  of  the  past,  are  the  marks 
which  he  bears,  not  of  the  world,  but  of  Christ  in  him. 
From  this  fear  and  this  love — these  two  co-relative  sources 
of  sorrow  and  joy — flow  all  the  Christian's  graces :  from  the 
one,  his  lowliness,  meekness,  and  charity ;  from  the  other, 
his  elevated  feelings  of  hope,  fortitude,  and  thankfulness ; 
and  these  apparently  opposing  elements,  chastising  and  curb- 
ing here,  invigorating  and  enlarging  there,  perfect  that  frame 
of  mind  which  results  from  a  full  and  unfeigned  repentance, — 
even  from  that  repentance  by  which  Ave  are  admitted  to  co- 
venanted pardon  and  peace,  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour. 

Consisting,  as  the  process  thus  described  must,  of  several 
steps,  we  need  not  be  surprised  if  the  penitent  sometimes 
stops  short  in  it.  We  have  already  seen  that  the  first  step  of 
turning  away  from  the  world  by  no  means  necessarily  leads 
to  the  next,  which  is  the  turning  to  God  :  even  when  the  sin- 
ner intends  to  turn  to  God,  he  often  mistakes  for  it  his  dis- 
gust of  the  world,  and  contentinghimself  with  this  evidence, 
proceeds  no  further,  but  rather  in  a  short  time  becomes  re- 
conciled again  to  the  former  minister  of  his  false  happiness. 
And  even  if  he  have  turned  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  his 
God,  this  very  glimpse  presents  in  the  same  moment  so  long 
and  dark  an  interval  of  continued  and  laborious  struggle  to 
attain  a  full,  clear  light,  that  he  shrinks  from  the  toil ;  he 
wilfully  deludes  himself  with  the  comfortable  thought,  that 
having  once  turned  to  God  he  is  advancing :  and,  having 
admitted  a  ray  of  heavenly  light  into  his  bosom,  he  rests  upon 
it  as  evidence  of  being  in  a  state  of  peace  with  God,  instead 
of  proceeding  with  it  as  an  earnest  of  more  to  be  obtained. 
Even  thus  it  too  frequently  happens  that  God's  summons  to 
repentance  is  misinterpreted  by  our  self-delusion  into  an 
assurance  that  all  is  v/ell.  We  regard  it  as  a  signal  to  go  to 
quarters,  and  not  to  march.  We  look  upon  it  as  a  certificate 
of  being  put  into  possession,  not  as  a  promise  that  we  shall 
possess.  It  is  to  us  the  setting  sun,  which  tells  us  that  our 
work  is  done ;  not  the  rising,  which  tells  us  that  our  work 
must  be  begun.  It  is  the  rainbow,  which  we  may  stand  and 
gaze  at,  and  assure  ourselves  of  God's  covenant  of  safety ; 
and  not  the  cloudy  pillar  by  da}^  and  fiery  pillar  by  night, 
which  we  must  never  cease  to  follow  up. 

Again :  even  after  we  have  turned  our  face  in  good  earnest 
(at  least,  as  we  think)  to  God,  the  distance  at  which  he  ap- 
pears from  us,  and  our  consequent  despondence,  gives  a  tern- 


ON  REPENTANCE.  135 

porary  advantage  to  the  world,  which  is  nigh  at  hand  with 
all  its  outward  cheerfulness.  We  have  now,  therefore,  for 
the  first  time,  two  masters  openly  set  before  us,  each  calling 
us  to  his  service  :  for  the  first  time  we  are  fully  aware  of  the 
difficulties  which  beset  the  road  to  eternal  life:  for  the  first  time 
we  become  conscious  of  the  exceeding  power  of  the  world. 
We  thought  not  of  the  strength  of  its  stream  while  we  were 
carelessly  floating  with  it ;  but  now  we  have  to  make  head 
against  it,  and  with  difficulty  can  we  keep  our  footing.  What 
wonder,  then,  if  at  this  point  often  occurs  a  long  pause,  or  even 
a  retrograde  step?  Here  is  the  crisis  of  the  penitent's  fate,  but 
here,  likewise,  is  the  assisting  grace  of  God  most  m.anifestly 
shown,  strengthening  amid  weakness.  But  for  this  help  our 
corrupt  nature  would  immediately  relapse  into  its  former  state, 
and  we  should  deem  the  fleeting  world,  of  which  we  are  in  oc- 
cupation, at  least  an  equivalent  to  the  everlasting  world,  which 
is  in  expectance.  From  the  whole  process  of  repentance,  thus 
considered,  it  is  evident  that  we  must  address  ourselves  to  it 
without  delay;  it  is  a  work  to  which  the  more  bodily  and 
mental  vigour  we  can  bring  on  our  part,  the  more  certain  are 
we  of  completing  it  through  God's  grace.  But  not  only  our 
limbs  and  senses  are  daily  becoming  less  active  and  pliant, 
but  our  minds  and  thoughts  also.  Our  will  is  daily  losing 
somewhat  of  its  sovereignty  over  both  one  department  and 
the  other ;  and  when  the  trembling  hand  refuses  to  obey,  the 
thoughts  also  will  most  probably  be  out  of  our  controul. 
Thus  there  is  a  point  where,  humanly  speaking,  repentance 
is  no  longer  possible.  Now,  therefore,  when  it  is  suggested, 
is  the  acceptable  time.  Now  let  the  holy  work  begin  ;  and 
God,  that  desireth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but  rather  that  he 
should  turn  from  his  wickedness  and  live,  will  save  our  souls 
alive. 


136 


DISSERTATION   X. 


ON   THE    STATE    OF    A    MEMBER   OF   THE    CHURCH  OF    GOD. 

JLhrdham  believed  God,  and  it  was  counted  unto  him  for  rtghtC' 
ousncss. — Rom.  iv.  3. 

In  the  moment  of  the  first  man's  sin,  his  relation  to  God  was 
changed.     He  had  disobeyed  the  will  of  God,  conformity  to 
which  constituted  the  excellence  of  his  nature,  and  was  the 
only  principle  of  harmony  to  its  various  qualities.     His  ori- 
ginal nature  was  now,  like  a  dead  body,  in  a  state  of  hideous 
dissolution,  from  the  loss  of  the  vital  principle ;  and  discor- 
dant passions,  unrestrained  appetites,  broken  thoughts,  took 
place  of  that  compact   system,   in  which   every  part  bore 
without  a  single  deviation  to  the  one  grand  object.     His  pas- 
sions, instead  of  being  excited  by  the  love  of  God,  were  now 
roused  by  the  love  of  himself;  his  appetites,  instead  of  find- 
ing satisfaction  in  God's  provision  for  them,  sought  it  any 
where  else,  and  therefore  in  earthly  things  rather  than  hea- 
venly ;  his  thoughts,  instead  of  centering  in  the  worship  and 
contemplation  of  God,  were  scattered  abroad,  and  having  lost 
that  converging  impulse  by  which  they  ascended  straight  to 
the  throne  of  heaven,  lay,  like  a  fog,  entangled  amid  the 
briers  and  brambles  of  earth.     If,  therefore,  in  his  former 
state,  he  was  an  object  of  God's  love,  what  else  could  he  be 
in  his  present,  but  an  object  of  his  wrath  and  condemnation'? 
Nevertheless,  such  is  God's  unspeakable  mercy,  he  was  met 
in  this  miserable  state  by  a  promise  of  restoration.     And  the 
effect  of  that  promise  on  this  state,  now,  alas !  the  natural 
state  of  man,  is  the  object  of  the  present  inquiry.     It  is  es- 
sential to  the  nature  of  a  promise,  that  it  can  have  no  retro- 
spect :  however  suggested  by  past  circumstances,  it  cannot 
take  them  into  its  conditions.     Hence  the  promise  of  ever- 


ON  THE  STATE  OP  A  MEMBER,   &.C.  137 

lasting  life,  being  proposed  by  God  to  man,  he  is  freed  from 
all  anxiety  regarding  his  conduct  previous  to  his  acceptance 
of  it.  The  very  promise  annuls  the  past,  as  far  as  responsi- 
bility can  be  concerned,  and  assures  him  that  it  is  irrelative 
to  the  great  bliss  to  be  conveyed  to  him.  Such  a  promise  is 
therefore  necessarily  accompanied  with  an  assurance  of  the 
forgiveness  of  past  sins.  The  acceptance  of  the  promise  on 
the  part  of  man,  is  through  faith  in  God  the  giver ;  this  being 
essential  on  the  part  of  the  receiver,  in  any  promise  between 
any  parties.  This  promise  also  is  made  by  God  for  the  sake 
of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  only  son.  From  these  se- 
veral considerations  being  put  together,  there  arises  the  pro- 
position, that  our  sins  are  forgiven  through  faith,  for  the  sake 
of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ;  in  other  words,  we  are  justified 
through  faith,  on  account  of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ. 

And  this  proposition,  having  been  deduced  from  principles 
common  to  every  stage  of  God's  Church,  is  applicable  to 
every  period  of  it ;  the  only  difference  will  be,  that  the  reason 
of  God's  forgiveness  is  not  necessary  to  be  revealed  to  all 
men,  and  therefore  its  complete  development  was  reserved 
for  that  period  which  he  had  destined  for  the  revelation  of  the 
mystery  which  was  kept  secret  since  the  world  began. 
(Rom.  xvi.  25.) 

The  forgiveness  of  sins  thus  conveyed  to  the  natural  man 
on  his  accepting  God's  promise  in  faith,  is  called  justification, 
his  injustice  up  to  that  moment  not  being  taken  into  account. 

We  have  now  to  examine  the  nature  of  this  faith. 

It  is  a  lively  and  implicit  belief  in  God's  promise,  nor  can 
man,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  bring  any  thing  more 
wherewith  to  meet  God :  works,  we  have  seen,  are  entirely 
excluded.  What,  indeed,  could  the  lost,  the  degraded,  the 
despairing  Adam  bring,  but  an  humble  and  earnest  acceptance 
of  whatever  God  in  his  mercy  should  think  fit  to  bestow  ? 
What  could  be  the  recommendation  of  Abraham  before  God, 
more  than  a  sincere  conviction  of  the  truth  of  his  promises, 
even  against  all  human  grounds  of  hope  1  and  what  can  the 
receiver  of  the  Gospel  plead  but  his  faith  in  God  through 
Christ  1  Works  taken  into  account  at  this  moment,  would 
throw  man  back  again  into  his  condemnation.  We  are  justi- 
fied, therefore,  by  faith  alone,  without  works,  and  the  faith  of 
man  and  the  forgiveness  of  God  are  correlative  terms ;  and 
thus,  for  instance,  the  Gospel  of  Christ  proclaims  remission 
of  sins  to  all  men,  of  whatever  condition,  mental,  moral,  or 
N 


138  ON  THE  STATE  OF  A  MEMBER  OF 

physical, — to  the  philosopher  and  to  the  ignorant,  to  the  pub" 
lican  and  the  pharisee,  to  the  man  in  the  king's  court,  to  the 
beggar  on  the  highway, — to  him  who  hath  w^orked  from 
dawn,  and  to  him  who  began  but  at  the  eleventh  hour,  pro- 
vided they  will  only  repent  and  believe.  All,  therefore, 
whatever  they  may  have  been  before, — by  whatever  ways, 
and  through  whatever  length  of  time  they  may  have  arrived 
at  it, — are  in  this  moment  held  to  be  equal, — there  is  no  dif- 
ference between  master  And  slave,  Jew  and  Greek.  But 
however  long  God's  preventing  grace  may  have  been  pre- 
disposing the  heart  to  entertain  this  justifying  faith,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  act  of  justification  is  momentary :  it  is  a  single 
point  in  our  life,  on  one  side  of  which  all  the  past  is  can- 
celled, on  the  other  all  is  future  in  bright  and  brilliant  hope. 
It  is  a  moment,  as  it  were,  of  spiritual  re-animation ;  and  as 
when  God  recalls  from  death,  he  by  that  very  act  also  neces- 
sarily infuses  a  principle  of  life,  so  in  this  act  he  not  only 
acquits  us  from  sin,  but  also  infuses  a  vivifying  spirit  of  ho- 
liness. From  this  circumstance,  and  also  because  it  is  due 
to  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  state  ensuing  from 
this  moment  is  called  the  state  of  sanctification,  and  must 
extend  henceforward  to  our  life's  end. 

Now,  since  the  moment  after  justification,  our  previous 
nature,  with  its  thoughts  and  feelings,  still  subsists,  the  rela- 
tion in  which  God  chooses  to  consider  us,  alone  having  un- 
dergone an  effective  change  as  yet,  and  as  the  Holy  Spirit 
has  commenced  his  operations,  and  as  faith  (which  waits  in 
hope  the  accomplishment  of  the  thing  promised,  but  unseen) 
must  still  subsist  and  proceed,  w^e  see  that  not  only  faith, 
but  works  also,  must  be  taken  into  account  in  our  consider- 
ation of  this  state. 

And  first,  with  regard  to  faith. 

Every  one  knows  by  experience,  that  the  more  objects  we 
can  lay  hold  of,  and  bring  together,  as  it  were,  to  converge 
to  the  desired  end,  the  firmer  our  assurance  in  its  accomplish- 
ment becomes :  hence,  our  faith  is  capable  of  growth  in  ex- 
tent and  stability.  And,  indeed,  since  an  active  mind  is 
always  progressive  to  some  point,  if  our  faith  did  not  grow 
correspondingly,  it  would  soon  he  overlaid  and  choaked  up 
by  the  growth  of  other  faculties  and  feelings  :  but  the  objects 
thus  supplied  to  the  exercise  of  the  faith  of  the  religious  man 
daily  grow  in  number  and  importance.  He  has  God's  holy 
word,  and  God's  holy  spirit,  to  supply  them.    The  latter  en- 


THE   CHURCH   OF   GOD.  139 

lightens  his  understanding  to  the  study  of  the  former,  which, 
having  been  also  the  production  of  the  same  spirit,  brings 
him  into  still  closer  communion  with  the  giver  of  light, 
whose  co-operation  is  still  further  obtained  in  meditation  and 
prayer ;  hence  the  faith  of  this  man  is  every  day  seeing  fresh 
objects  to  lead  him  on  to  the  end  unseen.  He  is  taking  a 
more  and  more  comprehensive  view  of  the  holy  word ;  he  is 
constantly  bringing  more  and  more  points  together  to  bear  to 
that  end,  which  before  seemed  unconnected ;  he  is  gradually 
supplying  to  every  communication  with  the  world,  a  firm 
base  in  God's  revelation,  on  which  it  shall  rest  like  a  rock 
amid  the  waves,  unmoved  by  wind  or  tide  of  human  affairs ; 
he  is  daily  providing  some  new  heavenly  principle,  some 
new  deduction  of  faith,  to  support  him  against  trial  and 
temptation ;  every  day  he  opens  his  eyes  upon  more  on 
which  to  be  humbled,  more  on  which  to  be  thankful,  more 
on  which  to  love,  more  on  which  to  praise,  to  sing,  and  to 
be  joyful.  Thus  our  faith,  growing  with  the  number  of  ob- 
jects which  give  it  exercise,  daily  gathering  under  its  domi- 
nion more  and  more  of  the  subjects  of  thought  and  passion, 
advances  continually  towards  that  comprehension  which  shall 
include  all  our  reflection  and  practice,  and  that  stability 
which  nothing  of  this  world  can  shake.  It  is  attaining  a  pro- 
tecting omnipresence,  as  it  were,  in  all  the  goings  forth  of 
our  spirit,  whether  its  objects  be  within  or  without.  While 
human  faculties,  such  as  human  knowledge,  widen  at  the  ex- 
pense of  depth,  this  heavenly  faculty  is  given  without  stint 
or  measure. 

This  progressive  quality  of  faith  is  several  times  mentioned 
or  implied  by  Scripture.  In  its  least  degree  it  is  likened  to 
a  grain  of  mustard-seed  (Luke  xvii.  6)  ;  but  this,  though  the 
least  of  seeds,  grows  to  the  greatest  tree.  Men  may  be 
established  and  grounded  in  the  faith,  and  may  be  moved 
away  (Col.  i.  23),  and  faith  is  the  victory  which  overcometh 
the  world  (1  John  v.  4). 

We  may  briefly  show  the  vast  extent  allowed  to  the  progress 
of  faith,  by  instancing  the  difference  between  a  justifying  and  a 
sanctifying  faith.  The  one  is  the  result  of  a  comparison  of  the 
gifts  of  the  world  with  God's  promise,  and  ends  in  the  joyful 
election  of  the  latter.  But  the  other  has  entirely  dismissed  the 
former  from  all  consideration,  and  fixes  entirely  upon  the  lat- 
ter. In  the  one,  was  an  assured  expectation  of  help  from 
God;  in  the  other,  is  the  conscious  enjoyment  of  it,  acting 


140  ON  THE  STATE  OF  A  MEMBER  OF 

as  an  earnest  of  more  and  greater.  There,  the  beginning  is 
in  fear ;  here,  the  end  is  in  love.  There,  the  seed  was  sown ; 
here,  the  fruit  is  gathered.  The  number  of  objects  supplied 
to  the  nourishment  of  faith  must  have  grown  more  numerous 
as  the  church  grew  in  age,  which,  in  this  instance,  resembles 
one  of  its  members,  whose  case  we  have  been  considering. 
The  faith  of  Adam,  and  his  patriarchal  successors,  must  have 
had  its  objects,  few,  and  all  prospective  ;  nothing,  as  far  as 
is  recorded,  having  been  added  to  the  original  promise,  which 
could  bring  it  nearer  to  the  eye,  or  increase  its  clearness,  un- 
til the  call  of  Abraham.  If  we  take  the  Jewish  church  at  its 
brightest  period,  we  find  that  its  members  had  presented  to 
their  eyes  a  bright  track,  allowing  the  eye  to  rest  at  intervals 
on  brilliant  and  glorious  objects,  and  yet  conducting  it  on, 
through  an  undeviating  line,  to  the  accomplishment  of  the 
original  and  general  prophecy.  The  Jew  stood  here  at  a  point 
of  time  up  to  which,  from  the  delivery  of  the  prophecy, 
stretched  a  series  of  heart-stirring  wonders  and  mercies, 
shown  to  his  nation ;  and  onward  from  which  stretched  an- 
other series,  glittering  through  the  darkness  of  futurity.  At 
the  same  time,  the  voice  of  living  prophets  was  sounding  in 
his  ear,  and  adding  star  after  star,  cluster  upon  cluster,  until 
he  gazed  upon  a  milky  way,  as  it  were,  of  coming  events. 
But  how  insignificant  is  even  all  this,  compared  with  what 
is  presented  to  the  eye  of  Christian  faith.  It  is,  indeed,  the 
starry  night  which  ushers  us  in  a  bright  and  glorious  day. 
For  all  which  was  brilliant  vision  to  the  Jew,  is  to  us  a  body 
of  glorious  and  substantial  facts ;  our  future  begins  where  his 
ended,  and  is  limited  but  by  the  consummation  of  all  things, 
when  our  mighty  Lord  and  Saviour  shall  come  again  in  glory 
to  judge  both  the  quick  and  the  dead.  Besides  our  own  pe- 
culiar view,  we  have  all  which  the  Patriarch  saw  in  hope, 
and  the  Jew  in  prophecy.  It  may,  perhaps,  be  objected,  that 
our  advantage  is  not  so  very  great  here,  inasmuch  as  our  be- 
lief is  more  easily  given  to  a  few  well-established  facts,  than 
to  a  multitude  ;  that,  at  all  events,  a  few  are  sufiicient,  being 
as  much  as  the  mind  can  command  in  its  grasp.  This  would 
be  true,  were  not  the  connexion  between  the  facts  so  close, 
the  tendency  of  all  to  one  point  so  clear,  that,  a  single  term 
accepted,  all  the  rest  follow  of  course ;  and  then  the  accumu- 
lation pressing  upon  the  mind  in  every  direction,  leaves  not  a 
single  heaving  point ;  not  a  single  expression  of  murmuring 
doubt  can  escape.     Belief  will  readily  admit  intervals  of  other 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  141 

impressions  on  the  mind,  and  may  therefore  come  from  a  few 
facts  ;  but  faith  is,  as  it  were,  an  omnipresence  of  conviction, 
flowing  from  every  quarter  to  which  we  turn,  and  for  this 
continual  impression  requires  a  continual  supply  of  objects. 

To  illustrate  what  we  have  been  saying,  let  us  take  up  an 
individual  instance ;  let  us  consider  the  progress  in  faith 
made  by  the  Christian  convert.  At  the  very  outset,  his  faith, 
by  keeping  his  eye  fixed  upon  his  Saviour,  would  now  enable 
him,  for  the  first  time,  to  overcome  some  besetting  temptation; 
for  the  first  time  to  subdue  some  tyrannous  passion,  which 
had  destroyed  his  peace  of  conscience.  He  has  here  a  cheer- 
ing proof  of  the  efficacy  of  faith,  and  his  faith  is  increased ; 
and  as  he  advances  from  conquest  to  conquest  over  the  flesh, 
he  also  grows  from  faith  to  faith.  Thus  is  it  with  regard  to 
his  practice.  At  the  same  time,  on  his  applying  in  his  newly- 
acquired  faith  to  God's  holy  word,  he  would  there,  for  the 
first  time,  find  something  wonderfully  corresponding  to  some 
particular  state  of  his  mind,  both  vividly  suggesting  it,  and 
most  happily  directing  it;' whether  it  be  some  uneasiness 
which  he  now  finds  turned  into  comfort,  or  some  enjoyment 
which  he  now  finds  exalted  and  sanctified  into  lasting  spiritual 
happiness.  And  thus  while,  on  every  successive  reading,  he 
brings  different  states  of  mind  to  it,  and  receives  for  each  an 
all-sufficient  remedy,  or  sanctifying  direction,  his  faith  grows 
stronger  daily,  until  the  word  of  God  is  so  inwoven  into  all 
his  thoughts,  is  so  diffused  into  the  whole  frame  of  his  mind, 
as  to  be  the  ruling  principle,  and  not  the  mere  accessory. 
Thus  internally  also  he  grows  from  faith  to  faith.  Again, 
every  day  that  he  turns  over  the  pages  of  Scripture,  some  fact 
detailed  in  it  strikes  him  as  it  never  did  before ;  and  objects 
are  daily  arising  to  nourish  his  growing  faith  in  his  hours  of 
meditation.  And  thus,  at  length,  he  attains  unto  that  faith, 
which  is  proof  to  the  seductions  of  the  flesh,  to  the  perplexi- 
ties of  the  spirit ;  which,  in  a  word,  overcometh  the  world. 

Having  ascertained  the  nature  of  faith,  let  us  next  inquire 
into  its  rank  and  value.  It  is  the  fountain-head  of  every 
other  holy  acquirement.  Faith  in  the  love  of  Christ  moves 
our  love  towards  each  other.  Faith  in  the  help  of  Christ,  and 
in  the  life  to  come,  which  he  bestows,  gives  us  patience  to 
bear,  and  courage  to  dare.  Faith,  holding  up  our  own  un- 
worthiness,  and  his  all-sufficient  merits,  inspires  us  with 
gentleness  and  meekness.  Just  as  a  powerful  well-head 
supplies  a  number  of  pools  below,  which  serve  for  heads  of 
N  2 


142  ON  THE  STATE  OP  A  MEMBER  OF 

water  for  irrigation,  so  does  faith  supply  the  forementioned 
qualities,  which  give  life  and  vigour  to  our  Christian  practice. 

It  is  in  constant  activity,  ever  welling  forth,  and  buhbling 
up,  and  by  a  constant  supply  keeping  the  pools  full  against 
the  proper  season  of  their  being  called  upon  to  perform  their 
part.  Possession,  therefore,  of  this  can  alone  give  us  pos- 
session of  the  rest.  On  this  account  it  is  that  sometimes 
Holy  Scripture  sums  up  the  whole  Gospel  under  this  single 
term  of  faith.  If  all  our  other  Christian  qualities  are  thus 
dependant  upon  faith,  much  more  are  works,  which  are  the 
outward  expression  of  those  qualities.  Faith,  therefore,  is 
the  main-trunk,  these  qualities  are  the  branches,  works  are 
the  fruit.  Faith  is  essential  to  the  very  existence  of  the  tree ; 
works  are  necessary  to  its  value,  but  accidental  to  its  ex- 
istence. 

But,  at  the  same  time,  it  is  with  very  good  reason  that  the 
authors  of  the  epistles  of  the  New  Testament  direct  their  ex- 
hortations not  to  faith,  but  rather  to  works ;  with  provocations 
to  these  they  overflow.  For  faith,  being  the  inward  principle 
of  exercise  to  the  spirit,  as  life  is  of  motion  to  the  body,  can 
only  be  maintained  by  that  exercise.  A  physician  would  not 
say  to  the  sick  man,  maintain  your  life,  increase  your  vital 
powers ;  but  would  insist  upon  using  exercise,  practising  diet. 
If  a  body  show  neither  motion  nor  speech,  it  is  dead  to  all 
purposes  of  this  world ;  and  so  faith  without  works  is  dead  to 
all  purposes  of  the  spiritual  world.  But,  though  the  supre- 
macy of  faith  be  thus  undoubted,  such  disputes  have  taken 
place  upon  the  relative  value  of  works,  that  the  subject  cannot 
be  so  immediately  dismissed,  especially  as  the  result  is  of  the 
utmost  importance.  It  is  astonishing  what  continual  mistakes 
and  misunderstandings  in  moral  questions  arise  from  inatten- 
tion to  the  definite  sense  of  words.  While  every  one  is  eager 
in  the  use  of  general  terms,  scarcely  any  one  is  patient 
enough  to  ascertain  their  full  meaning.  We  have  a  strong 
instance  of  this  in  the  use  of  the  term  "  good  works."  How 
many  have  defined  to  themselves  their  acceptation  of  the 
word  "  good"  here  1 

Good  works  may  be  so  termed  in  two  ways.  First,  they 
may  be  called  good,  because  they  have  resulted  from  the 
natural  principle  of  right  reason,  recognized  by  us  individu- 
ally and  socially ;  in  this  sense  they  are  good  according  to  the 
moral  philosopher.  But  in  a  second  sense  they  are  good,  as 
proceeding  from  a  conscience  informed  by  God's  revealed 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  143 

will.  In  this  sense  only  are  they  good,  according  to  the  the- 
ologian ;  for  it  is  clear  that  the  Christian  who  works  upon  the 
first  principle,  who  is  dutiful,  affectionate,  charitable,  merely 
from  natural  motives,  so  far  from  obeying  God,  is  disobeying 
him.  God  tells  him  to  act  from  this  motive,  and  he  chooses 
to  act  from  that.  The  confusion  of  these  two  different  prin- 
ciples of  action  is  the  rock  upon  which  heedless  and  mere 
professing  Christians  are  perpetually  striking.  They  imagine 
themselves  to  have  performed  God's  will,  when  they  have 
not  taken  the  trouble  to  learn  it ;  to  have  pleased  him,  when 
they  have  but  pleased  themselves ;  and  mistake  the  applause 
of  man  for  the  approval  of  God. 

But  among  those  who  understand  the  term  in  its  proper 
sense,  there  are  unfortunate  disputes  as  to  what  title  we 
should  give  them  in  expressing  their  relation  to  our  spiritual 
condition.  The  only  opinions  which  need  be  canvassed  here 
are  two ;  namely,  that  which  entitles  their  exhibition  a  condi- 
tion of  salvation,  and  that  which  calls  them  the  fruits  and 
evidences  of  a  true  and  lively  faith.  Between  the  well- 
informed  propounders  of  these  opinions,  the  difference  appears 
to  be  rather  nominal  than  real.  But  not  so  among  their  less 
considerate  followers ;  they  are  led  more  by  words  than  things. 
It  becomes  us,  therefore,  to  make  our  election  between  these 
two  modes  of  expression.  The  first  appears  deficient  in 
logical  precision  upon  so  critical  a  doctrine ;  for  it  includes 
in  its  terms  two  propositions,  which,  while  it  is  most  neces- 
sary to  distinguish  them  from  each  other,  thus  come  con- 
founded to  the  understanding  of  the  unexploring  reader.  It 
tells  us,  not  only  that  if  we  have  not  works  we  shall  not  be 
saved,  but  also,  that  if  we  have  works  weshall  be  saved;  and 
in  this  latter  sense,  which  commends  itself  so  much  to  our 
self-sufficiency,  it  is  very  generally  accepted  by  the  careless 
and  unreflecting;  to  them  it  expresses  little,  if  anything,  less 
than  the  doctrine  of  merits.  But  neither,  if  we  confine  the 
expression  to  the  first  of  these  included  propositions,  will  it 
give  a  clear  statement  of  the  fact;  for  it  confounds  the  sense 
of  the  word  condition.  The  condition  of  salvation  is  purely 
conventional,  being  the  merits  of  Christ  on  the  part  of  God, 
faith  on  the  part  of  man.  But  here  the  condition  is  necessary, 
and  moreover  subordinate  to  the  other,  since  the  expression, 
when  fully  explained,  must  be  intended  to  say  that,  if  we  are 
to  be  saved,  we  must  have  faith,  (where  the  condition  is  one 
of  convention :)  and  that  if  we  have  faith  it  must  produce 


144  ON  THE  STATE  OP  A  MEMBER  OF 

works,  (where  the  condition  is  a  moral  necessity.)  In 
whichever  way,  therefore,  we  resolve  the  general  proposition 
of  the  exhibition  of  works  being  a  condition  of  salvation,  there 
is  ground  for  misapprehension,  and  its  employers  cannot  com- 
plain of  misrepresentation.  The  second  mode  of  expression, 
therefore,  seems  preferable ;  and  both  boasting  and  despon- 
dency, which  may  arise  from  differently  misunderstanding 
the  first,  are  excluded.  Boasting  cannot  have  place,  because 
the  man,  whose  lively  faith  is  the  author  of  the  work,  has  in 
his  contemplation  such  attributes  of  perfection,  even  of  the 
Father,  whom  he  sees  in  his  son  Jesus  Christ  who  hath 
declared  him, — such  justice,  such  holiness  ;  and  turns  from 
these  to  find  in  his  own  best  frame  of  mind  such  an  humiliating 
contrast ;  is  so  continually  rebuked  by  the  comparison  of  what 
he  has  done  with  what  he  should  have  done ;  descries  such  a 
wide  interval  even  between  the  will  and  the  deed,  imperfect 
as  the  former  is,  and  again  between  the  means  given  to  him, 
and  the  end  produced  by  him,  that  he  will  indeed  confess  with 
all  confusion  of  face  that  he  is  an  unprofitable  servant.  But 
despondency  will  be  excluded,  not  only  because  his  lively 
faith  has  a  lively  apprehension  of  God's  mercy,  but  also  be- 
cause his  works,  embodying  though  they  do  much  sad  fleshly 
superfluity  together  with  his  principles  of  faith,  will  be  evi- 
dences to  him  of  the  abiding  of  God's  grace  in  his  heart ;  and 
although  they  bear  no  proportion  to  the  model  which  he  has 
in  view,  no  more  than  finite  to  infinite,  yet  they  admit  of 
degrees  among  each  other;  and  if  the  progress  towards  per- 
fection be  indiscernible  as  ever,  yet  the  remoteness  from 
helpless  human  corruption  begins  to  be  visible.  His  tree  at 
all  events  is  bearing  fruit ;  it  is  in  the  heavenly  vineyard,  is  in- 
tended by  the  heavenly  vine-dresser,  and  the  earnest  which  it 
has  given  of  answering  his  care  will  earn  still  more  of  his 
attention ;  grace  will  be  given  for  grace ;  the  very  discovery 
of  his  deficiencies  will  administer  comfort  in  the  same  mo- 
ment that  they  abash  him :  for  when  a  man  has  found  out 
where  he  is  weak,  he  has  also  found  out  where  he  may  here- 
after be  less  weak ;  and  from  the  corruption  of  man  he  is 
enabled  to  estimate  more  distinctly,  by  contrast,  the  power 
of  the  amending  grace  of  God ;  and  hence  he  feels  assured 
that  sufficient  shall  be  supplied  to  his  overcoming  the  world. 
Good  works,  therefore,  are  the  fruits  of  a  lively  faith,  and 
are  acceptable  to  God,  as  the  fruit  of  the  tree  to  the  Father, 
which  has  been  planted  by  the  husbandry  of  his  only  be- 


THE  CHURCH  OP  GOD.  145 

gotten  Son.  Holy  he  accounts  the  vineyard,  holy  the  tree, 
and  holy  the  fruit ;  if  it  continue  to  bear  fruit,  the  care  of 
the  husbandman  is  both  continued  and  increased.  If  it 
bear  not  fruit,  it  is  cut  down,  cast  out  of  the  vineyard, 
and  burned.  But  as  the  ploughman  who  looks  back  is 
not  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  so  neither  must  we  be 
casting  fond  retrospects  upon  our  works,  and  thus  resting 
in  them  with  all  complacency :  we  must  be  ever  looking  for- 
ward, and  what  has  been  done  must  be  but  a  call  to  do  more ; 
grace  supplied  must  lead  to  grace  to  be  supplied.  Hence  a 
diligent  examination  of  our  state  is  necessary,  and  here  it  is 
that  our  good  works  tell  practically  as  evidences  to  us  of  our 
state  towards  salvation.  This  will  appear  from  an  examina- 
tion for  the  proper  tests  of  our  faith.  They  are  from  within 
and  from  without. 

I.  The  testimony  from  within  is  peace  of  mind,  being 
borne  by  our  conscience,  and  in  three  different  ways. 

First :  It  will  come  from  the  understanding ;  and  this, 
when  well  examined,  gives  the  surest  evidence  of  all,  be- 
cause it  is  that  part  of  us,  which  from  its  remote  and  ab- 
stract nature,  is  least  likely  to  be  imposed  upon  by  the 
outward  world,  and  its  passions.  The  force  of  this  testi- 
mony will  consist  in  the  absence  of  all  doubt  and  perplexity, 
in  the  entertainment  of  clear  and  consistent  views,  in  quick 
discernment  of  consequences,  in  most  full  and  reasonable 
conviction  of  the  principles  of  belief,  which  it  has  attained 
by  long  and  patient  investigation,  and  in  a  mastery  over  its 
sacred  subjects,  so  as  to  be  ever  ready  to  produce  and  apply 
them  as  the  practice  of  life  shall  demand  them.  No  man  can 
have  confidence  in  the  steadiness  of  his  faith,  without  the 
answer  of  some  such  touchstone  as  this. 

Secondly  :  It  will  consist  in  purity  and  propriety  of  imagi- 
nation, by  which  I  mean  not  only  the  presence  of  nothing  but 
pure  images  in  the  mind,  but  also  proper  and  adequate,  and 
abiding.  Is  our  notion  of  God  sufiiciently  exalted  ;  is  our 
view  of  the  gospel,  with  all  its  facts,  consistent  with  Scrip- 
ture 1  Is  the  character  of  Christ  written  in  all  its  true  holi- 
ness and  loveliness  on  our  breast  1  Are  the  mighty  events 
by  which  he  wrought  our  redemption,  pictured  there  in  true, 
lively,  and  abiding  characters ;  cheering  us,  and  prompting 
us  as  models  by  which  to  shape  our  own  conduct !  Do  these 
holy  pictures,  drawn  after  long  study  of  their  heavenly  proto- 
types, touch  after  touch,  by  perusal  after  perusal  of  Scripture, 


146  ON  THE  STATE  OF  A  MEMBER  OF 

Still  gTOW  day  after  day  into  greater  likeness  and  harmony 
with  the  originals,  which  day  after  day  we  turn  over?  Do 
we  hail  them  with  increasing  delight,  and  patiently  proceed 
comparing,  improving,  amending,  until  the  glorious  whole  be 
formed  in  us  1  In  proportion  as  we  have  repelled  all  impure, 
low,  trivial,  and  earthly  imaginations,  and  possessed  our- 
selves with  pure,  lofty,  serious,  and  heavenly,  we  have  ac- 
quired a  saving  faith,  and  are  enjoying  the  beneficial  co- 
operation of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Thirdly :  It  will  come  from  our  passions  and  feelings,  and 
will  consist  in  the  absence  of  all  vexation ;  in  the  conscious- 
ness of  daily  gaining  some  victory  over  them  ;  in  the  resigna- 
tion of  all  our  desires  into  God's  hands ;  in  the  looking  on  the 
world  with  the  calmness  of  one  who  sees   in  each  event, 
however  it  may  affect  him,  even  to  extreme  poverty  and  afflic- 
tion, one  harbinger  more  of  the  coming  of  the   kingdom  of 
Christ;  to   whom  and  to  whose   cause  he  has  surrendered 
himself  in  every  Avish  and  appetite,  and  can  cry  out,  joyful 
amid  sorrow,  like  a  zealous  imitator  of  the  obedience  of  his 
Saviour,    "  Not  my  will,  O  Lord,  but  thy  will  be  done."     In 
proportion  as  we  thus  can  overcome  the  world,  and  establish 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  over  our  hearts,  will  be  the  value  of 
the  testimony   arising  from  this  source.     Before,  however, 
proceeding  to  the  n'ext  class,  we  must  observe,  that  not  very 
many  men  are  possessed  of  sufficient  reflection,  and  of  such 
steady  attention   to  the  working  of  their  own  minds,  as   to 
draw  much   advantage  from  the  above  sources.     Only   the 
higher  and  most  carefully  disciplined  minds   can  apply  to 
them.     The  rest  will,  except  under  very  pressing   circum- 
stances which  concentrate  their  attention  on  some  particular 
occasion,  cast   a   look  so  superficial,  that  they  will  not  be 
aware  (at  least  from  these   means)  how  vanity   is  deluding- 
their  understanding,  enthusiasm  abusing  their  imagination, 
and  interest  working  upon  their  passions.     To   these,  there- 
fore, that  is,  to  the  great  generality  of  mankind,  a  surer  test  is 
afforded  from  sources  of  the  next  class.     Happy  indeed  is  he 
who  can  make  good  use  of  both  ! 

II.  The  value  of  the  testimony,  from  without,  that  is,  of 
works,  arises  from  their  being  a  palpable  expression  of  our 
frame  of  mind,  the  final  result  of  the  thoughts  and  passions 
which  we  have  been  cherishing  there.  And  it  tells  us  of 
two  things  :  first,  whether  we  be  really  possessed  of  certain 
inward  qualities,  for  which  we  give  ourselves  credit ;  and, 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  147 

secondly,  brinors  to  light  qualities  which  we  had  not  sus- 
pected in  ourselves. 

On  the  first  point  we  may  remark  how  prone  we  are  to 
give  ourselves  credit  for  certain  gifts  of  nature  ;  for  calmness 
of  mind,  contentedness  of  spirit,  evenness  of  temper.  But  it 
is  plain  that  unless  we  can  exhibit  to  our  conscience  outward 
proofs  of  these  being  put  into  exercise,  not  by  the  dictates  of 
nature,  but  by  the  motive  of  faith,  they  are  of  no  account,  but 
rather  the  contrary  :  we  have  received  talents  which  we  have 
never  sought  to  improve,  and  turn  to  the  service  of  our  Master. 
From  faith  alone  can  we  receive  the  energy  to  overcome  the 
lets  and  hindrances,  with  which  all  natural  gifts  are,  as  with 
means  of  proof  and  trial,  accompanied.  With  the  above- 
mentioned  gifts  are  generally  found  also  reluctance  to  exer- 
tion, passiveness  to  the  authority  and  advice  of  others,  fear 
of  contradiction.  So  also  fortitude  of  mind  is  often  joined 
with  an  unevangelical  stubbornness ;  cautiousness  of  belief, 
with  scepticism ;  curiosity  of  inquiring,  with  barren  and 
minute  trifling.  Faith  alone  will  free  the  gift  from  its  coun- 
tervailing partner,  and  bring  it  unfettered  and  energetic  into 
action ;  and  so  brought,  it  will  give  us  a  testimony  of  the 
spirit  abiding  within  us. 

On  the  second  point  we  need  not  observe  how  ignorant 
men  are  of  themselves,  not  only  through  passion  and  interest, 
not  only  through  inattention,  but  also  from  incapacity  of 
passing  judgment  upon  their  inward  thoughts.  Such  a  min- 
gled mass  is  the  mind  of  almost  every  man,  consisting  of 
thoughts  and  passions  of  manifold  complexions,  of  manifold 
stages  from  mere  confused  elements  to  ripe  matured  notions, 
that  they  seldom  know  its  general  bearing  before  it  gives 
birth  to  some  work.  Then,  indeed,  the  deformity  which  es- 
caped them  in  the  dark  depths  of  their  bosom  is  seen  clearly 
in  the  light  before  men.  Then  the  laws  and  the  customs  of 
the  world,  and  the  word  of  Scripture,  immediately  bring  it  to 
their  bar,  and  the  whole  man  is  judged  from  this  single  fact. 
His  works  then  tried  in  the  conscience  of  the  believer,  will  give 
him  an  evidence,  which  otherwise  he  could  not  obtain,  of  the 
spirit  within  him.  The  approval  or  condemnation  of  the 
world  will  only  operate  to  his  examining  it  with  greater  and 
more  scrupulous  jealousy  by  the  test  of  God's  word ;  and  ac- 
cording as  it  is  agreeable  to  that  test  he  may  reckon  his  sin- 
cerity of  faith. 


148  ON  THE  STATE  OF  A  MEMBER,  &C. 

Such  are  the  testimonies  from  within  and  from  without, 
which  the  Christian  has  of  his  spiritual  state,  and  to  these  he 
must  be  daily  appealing :  they  mark  distinctly  out  the  way 
which  he  is  going,  and  he  can  see  whether  it  tend  to  the  only 
proper  end  or  not.  The  proof  of  the  accuracy  of  his  examina- 
tion will  he  the  accordance  of  the  testimony  from  within  and 
from  without,  in  both  cases  subjected  to  the  word  of  God, 
that  searcher  of  the  heart.  If  both  agree  in  telling  him  that 
lie  is  advancing  in  grace,  most  happy  he,  and  the  effusion  of 
the  spirit  upon  his  heart  will  give  him  still  further  assurance 
and  faith  in  God,  and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  even  as  the  dew 
on  the  fleece  of  wool  did  to  Gideon  of  old  (Judges  vii.  37). 
And  finally  he  will  obtain  that  faith  which  overcometh  the 
world,  and  enjoy  its  crowning  triumph,  which  is,  to  have 
transferred  himself  in  hope  and  affections  above :  and  as  in 
the  body  he  puts  full  faith  in  the  permanency  of  the  opera- 
tions of  Providence ;  pursues  his  plans  on  the  full  assurance 
of  the  sun  rising  on  the  morrow,  of  the  sea  maintaining  its 
level,  of  the  earth  yielding  its  increase ;  even  so,  even  with 
the  same  certainty,  to  work  in  spirit,  convinced  that  the  grace 
of  God  shall  never  fail,  that  the  help  of  his  knowledge  shall 
ever  abide,  that  the  bliss  and  glory  of  the  life  to  come  shall 
keep  the  appointed  day,  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come 
again  in  his  glorious  majesty  to  judge  the  quick  and  the 
dead. 


149 


DISSERTATION  XI. 


ON    THE    ANALOGY    OF    THE    NATURAL    AND  SPIRITUAL    BIRTH. 

Being  horn  agaln^  not  of  corruptible  seed^  but  of  incorruptible, 
by  the  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  for  ever. — 
1  Peter  i.  23. 

To  be  born  again  of  God  and  of  the  Spirit,  to  be  begotten  by 
the  word  and  through  the  gospel,  to  put  off  the  old  man  and 
put  on  the  new,  to  become  as  little  children,  to  grow  in  grace 
and  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  to  come  unto  the  perfect  man, 
unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ, — 
these  are  phrases  which  are  continually  meeting  our  eyes  in 
the  pages  of  Holy  Scripture ;  and  it  were  well  if  their  preg- 
nant meaning  as  often  found  its  way  to  our  hearts.     They 
are  indeed  figurative ;  but  it  is  only  by  means  of  illustration, 
drawn  from  the  world  of  flesh,  that  our  imperfect  nature  can 
obtain  a  glimpse  of  the  objects  and  operations  of  the  world  of 
spirit ;  and  they  convey  to  us  as  clearly  as  our  duties  and 
condition  here  can  require,  the  important  fact,  that  we  have  to 
undergo  a  moral  death,  the  death  unto  sin, — and  a  moral 
birth,  the  birth  unto  righteousness ;  and  that  there  is  a  strong 
analogy  between  the  birth  and  growth  of  the  body  and  that  of 
the  spirit,  so  that  we  may  learn  from  the  one  to  ascertain, 
with  sufficient  precision,  the  progressive  stages  of  the  other. 
As  this  analogy  (which  it  is  now  purposed  to  pursue)  is 
intelligible  only  so  far  as  our  consciousness  carries  us,  it  will 
be  sufficient  to  commence  it  from  that  moment,  when  God, 
by  some  one  among  his  many  mercifal  interventions  with 
sinful  man,  calls  him  from  a  state  of  worldly  thoughtlessness 
to  a   serious   consideration  of  his  spiritual  condition;    and 
from  a  secure  and  almost  unconscious  enjoyment  of  mere 
initiatory  spiritual  privileges,  to  their  actual  and  full  exercise. 


150  ON  THE  ANALOGY^  Ol'  THE 

That  moment  is,  perhaps,  with  some,  but  too  transitory,  and 
the  creature  dies  ahiiost  in  the  birth;  otliers  expire  in  the  ru- 
diments of  childhood  ;  some,  alas!  in  the  prime  of  manhood  ; 
some,  after  a  long-  struggle  with  infirmity,  start  into  health, 
and  illustrate  the  analogy  to  its  full  extent,  and  to  their  own 
salvation,  and  the  glory  of  their  master. 

Let  us  take  the  natural  world,  and  contemplate  the  young^ 
child.     Observe  his  intense  curiosity,  his  unwearied,  minute, 
and  detailed  examination  of  the  new  world  around  him.     He 
will  not  be  satisfied  witb  the  distant  evidence  of  sight,  here- 
after to  be  his  principal  guide ;  but  he  must  touch,  taste, 
handle,  and  thus  is  fonning  that  correctness  of  vision,  whereby 
he  may  in  future  judge  of  what  lies  beyond  his  reach.     Such 
is  the  new  man,  upon  his  first  introduction  into  the  spiritual 
world.     Besides  what  is  peculiar  to  it,  all  that  detail  which 
before  surrounded  him,  but  scarcely  could  engage  his  atten- 
tion, now,  invested  with  a  new  character,  solicits  his  observa- 
tion, at  every  moment,  from  every  quarter.     All  that  train  of 
consequences  which  flow  so  abundantly  from  the  sinfulness 
of  man,  from  the  mercy,  love,  and  justice  of  God,  from  a  cru- 
cified Redeemer,  and  the  certainty  of  everlasting  life, — all 
that  is  delivered  line  by  line,  and  page  by  page,  in   God's 
holy  word, — all  the  hourly  duties  of  life,  which  are  now  be- 
come  the  palpable   dress  of  spiritual   meditation  and  feel- 
ings,— all   the    opportunities   which   his    clear    sight    now 
perceives  thrusting  themselves  upon  his  notice,  coming  from 
God,  like  his  daily  bread,  to  try  and  nourish  his  young  facul- 
ties,— all  these  fill  his  sphere  of  thought  and  action  to  over- 
flow, attract  him   by   their   novelty,   invite   him   by    their 
grandeur  to  examine,  and  compare,  and  spiritually  handle. 
His  ardent  curiosity  will  let  nothing  pass  before  him,  merely 
as  an  object  of  sight ;  he  must  take  in  hand  and  prove  all 
things,  and  cleave  to  that  which  is  good.     Thus  he  acquires 
those  just  powers  of  spiritual  vision  by  which  he  extends  his 
sphere  of  knowledge,  that  he  may  be  enabled  to  comprehend 
with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height,  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which  passeth  know- 
ledge, and  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God. 

The  child,  moreover,  even  while  apparently  least  engaged, 
is  nevertheless  by  various  unseen  ways  acquiring  the  neces- 
sary experience  in  the  world  around  him ;  his  habits  are 
forming,  he  is  growing  conscious  of  his  faculties  of  body  and 
mind,  more  sensible  to  the  calls  of  his  new  existence.     And 


NATURAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  BIRTH.  151 

SO,  too,  tlie  infant  of  the  spiritual  world,  in  his  intervals  of 
practical  quietude,  is  still  busy;  his  newly-formed  thoughts 
are  arranging  themselves,  his  mind  is  ascertaining  its  place 
and  relation  in  the  new  world,  he  is  almost  unsconciously  an- 
alyzing and  combining  the  precious  materials  which  he  has 
gathered,  so.  that  on  his  return  to  more  active  communication, 
it  is  with  augmented  powers,  and  with  more  intense  enjoy- 
ment. The  child's  communication  with  the  sensible  world 
presents  him  immediately  with  one  set  of  instincts,  and  me- 
diately, through  gradual  experience,  Avith  another ;  and  thus 
he  proceeds  from  the  use  of  his  mother's  breast,  of  his  own 
limbs,  organs,  and  appetites,  to  those  multifarious  habits, 
those  instantaneous  though  acquired  operations,  bodily,  intel- 
lectual, and  moral,  which  unconsciously  are  exhibited  by  a 
settled  system  of  body  and  mind.  Exactly  analogous  is  the 
process  and  result  upon  our  introduction  to  the  spiritual  world ; 
and  as  in  the  former  case  we  were  under  the  influence  of  that 
continued  exertion  of  God's  power  to  which  we  owed  our 
birth,  and  which  we  call  nature,  so  in  this  we  are  under  the 
continued  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  which  we  were  born ; 
and  the  world  to  which  he  has  brought  us  operating  upon 
our  rninds,  produces  a  class  of  appropriate  spiritual  in- 
stincts,— partly  directly,  from  the  very  act  of  our  intercourse, 
partly  indirectly,  in  the  process  of  habitual  reflection  and  con- 
tinual experience, — the  results  remaining  by  us  in  the  shape 
of  first  principles,  though  the  process  by  which  we  arrived  at 
them  may  have  been  long  dismissed  from  memory.  To  the 
former  class,  for  example,  belongs  the  fear  of  God,  and  a 
sense  of  our  own  unworthiness,  the  immediate  and  inevitable 
results  of  our  first  communication  with  the  spiritual  world. 
Among  such  as  the  course  of  time  supplies,  may  be  placed 
instantaneous  resistance  to  temptation :  for  it  is  only  by  a 
series  of  mortifying  experiments  that  we  can  learn  to  dis- 
tinguish its  most  dangerous  aspects,  espy  its  most  formidable 
poi'nts  of  attack,  estimate  the  ruinous  consequences  of  a  mo- 
mentary relaxation  of  our  guard ;  and  thus  arrive  at  the  de- 
sirable result  of  an  instant  and  intuitive  view  of  the  peril, 
and  of  as  instant  repulsion. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  child,  these  principles  increase  in 
strength  and  number  as  we  proceed,  daily  embracing  a  wider 
range  of  our  actions,  and  guarding  us  more  and  more  effect- 
ually from  those  unforeseen  accidents,  forestalling  all  calcu- 
lation, to  which  our  course  is  liable;    fresh  acquirements 


152  ON  THE  ANALOGY  OF  THE 

being  daily  made,  others  obtained  long  ago  are  daily  settling 
down  into  the  class  of  first  principles.  And  thus,  as  in  the 
sensible  Avorld,  our  immediate  healthy  communication  with 
the  spiritual  world  being  secured,  the  higher  fiaculties,  re- 
leased from  the  slavish  duty  of  the  mere  preservation  of  this 
new  existence,  are  at  liberty  to  extend  their  range  of  disco- 
very through  the  realms  of  spirit  day  after  day,  refining  our 
nature,  and  raising  us  from  a  precarious  and  bare  subsistence 
to  a  more  exalted  state  of  being.  There  is,  therefore,  a  child- 
hood, a  youth,  and  a  manhood.  In  the  first  state,  the  new 
man  is  learning  the  use  of  his  limbs  and  senses.  He  is, 
therefore,  in  continual  apprehension.  As  he  endeavours  to 
keep  the  way  of  God,  he  is  liable  to  swerve  or  to  stumble ; 
as  he  puts  forth  his  hand  to  lay  hold  of  God's  promises,  his 
aim  is  uncertain,  his  grasp  is  weak.  As  he  gazes  around  him 
he  is  alarmed  by  unwonted  sights ;  in  the  old  man  he  had 
never  imagined  that  such  infirmity  would  be  his  lot ;  he  had 
imagined  that  he  had  only  to  go  on  and  prosper,  whenever  he 
should  seriously  address  himself  to  newness  of  life.  He 
clings,  therefore,  anxiously  to  his  divine  teacher,  and  confi- 
dence in  his  ready  help,  joined  with  the  growing  sense  of 
power,  gradually  frees  him  from  the  slavery  of  his  fears. 
With  youth,  his  fear  of  falling  is  exchanged  for  a  determina- 
tion to  run  for  the  prize ;  his  aim  is  sure ;  and  as  his  previous 
state  required  an  anxious  shunning  of  unholiness,  his  present 
includes  also  the  joyful  pressing  on  after  holiness.  Still,  how- 
ever, his  different  powers  have  not  been  equally  put  forth  : 
some  are  too  forward,  others  too  backward.  There  is  a  quick- 
ness of  mental  sight  to  catch  the  golden  opportunities  of 
God's  grace,  to  discern  the  workings  of  the  Spirit,  to  disco- 
ver on  each  occasion  the  will  of  his  master ;  there  is  confi- 
dence in  his  means,  strength  in  his  arm,  and  resolution  for 
the  struggle  which  he  has  to  maintain.  But  the  unwinking- 
steadiness  of  observation,  which  faces  the  evil  as  boldly  as  it 
hails  the  good;  the  patience  Avhich  is  unwearied  by  slow 
and  lingering  trial ;  the  caution  which,  gained  from  previous 
defeat,  will  beware  of  a  second  temptation,  however  disguised 
under  a  new  aspect ;  the  pertinacity  of  hold  which  will  not 
forego  an  occasion  of  grace  until  he  has  extracted  all  its  pre- 
ciousness  from  it, — these  belong  to  the  grown  man,  whose 
various  powers  being  fully  ripened,  have  found  their  proper 
balance.  And  where  is  old  age  1  It  is  not  here.  The  new 
man,  the  restored  inhabitant  of  Paradise,  is  immortal ;  and  all 


NATURAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  BIRTH.  153 

his  sojourn  on  earth  is  employod  in  attaining  to  a  manhood, 
which  can  never  be  perfected  in  the  mortal  body,  nor  shall 
ever  cease  in  the  immortal. 

The  right  use  and  diligent  exercise  of  these  faculties,  ac- 
quired under  our  education  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  as  neces- 
sary to  our  spiritual  health  as  those  of  the  body,  under  the 
continual  influence  of  its  peculiar  Creator,  are  to  its  vigour  and 
perfection ;  misemployment  or  neglect  not  only  prevent  pro- 
gress, but  also  cause  them  to  recede ;  derangement  ensues, 
and  disease,  day  after  day,  closes  up  some  organ  of  commu- 
nication with  the  world  of  spirit,  till  at  last  an  exclusion,  a 
spiritual  death,  ensues^  Meanwhile,  their  proper  use  and 
improvement  is  attended  with  pleasurable  feelings  analogous 
to  those  which  accompany  a  healthy  growth  of  the  body ;  and 
as  the  youth  hails  with  delight  the  increasing  supplies  of  sta- 
ture and  streaigth,  which,  by  God's  bounty,  are  flowing  in  so 
fast  upon  him,  so  tlie  born  of  the  Spirit  enjoys  the  conscious- 
ness of  continually  increasing  strength  of  spiritual  grace,  the 
development  of  one  faculty,  the  ripening  of  another,  by  which 
he  is  enabled  to  soar  still  higher  above  mere  earthly  existence, 
and  arrive  at  a  closer  communication  with  the  Father  of  Spirits. 

No  analogy,  however,  can  be  perfect :  sooner  or  later  the 
parallel  must  fail.  In  the  case  now  before  us,  we  must  re- 
member that,  while  we  are  perfect  denizens  of  the  sensible 
^'orld,  we  are  at  the  same  time  but  imperfectly  admitted  to 
tlie  spiritual.  In  some  points,  therefore,  this  analogy  of  flesh 
rand  spirit  can  be  but  fairly  traced,  in  others  will  fail  alto- 
gether. For  instance ;  in  the  former,  so  powerful  are  our 
instincts,  that  no  perversion  of  our  reasoning  faculties  (and 
this  has  been  attempted)  can  resist  or  overcome  them  :  but  in 
the  latter,  owing  to  our  imperfect  tenure  of  it,  their  resistance 
may  be  surmounted  by  wily  argument,  and  the  consequence 
is  more  dreadful  in  the  proportion  of  a  spiritual  to  a  corporeal 
death.  Therefore  they  must  be  guarded  and  obeyed  with  all 
diligence  :  they  are  as  necessary  to  our  spiritual  welfare,  as 
the  belief  of  first  principles  is  to  that  of  the  mind, — as  the 
continuance  of  its  various  involuntary  motions  to  that  of  the 
body.  Let  the  Christian,  therefore,  beware  how  he  argues 
against  an  instinctive  reluctance  of  spirit.  Let  him  content- 
edly abide  the  charge  of  obstinacy,  because  he  cannot  assign 
his  reasons  for  it;  and  demand,  in  return,  of  the  man  of 
argument,  why  he  turns  away  from  a  precipice,  avoids  a 
raging  torrent,  shuns  a  devouring  fire.  We  may  be  assured 
o2  ' 


154  ON  THE  ANALOGY  OF  THE 

that  whenever  reasoning  is  employed  to  stifle  this  internal 
protest,  whether  from  ourselves  or  from  others,  it  is  supplied 
by  the  father  of  lies :  is  a  net  laid  for  our  feet  by  the  un- 
wearied craft  of  the  enemy  of  our  salvation,  who  would  will- 
ingly quench  the  life-giving  spirit  within  us,  aird  reduce  us 
once  more  to  the  mortal  bondage  of  the  flesh. 

Again,  our  spiritual  creation  is  not  independent,  like  that 
of  our  body,  of  any  previous  existence.  It  presupposes  all 
along  the  ruder  elements  of  our  moral  nature  ;  and  before  we 
can  acquire  new  principles  peculiar  to  the  spiritual  world, 
such  as  maintain  our  intercourse  with  the  sensible  must  have 
been  moulded  anew,  received  a  different  bias,  taken  another 
channel. 

We  have  not  only  to  learn,  but  to  unlearn,  and  one  of  the 
most  delightful  feelings  with  which  God  rewards  our  spiritual 
improvement,  is  the  discovery  at  length  of  a  task  which  can 
satisfy  our  noblest  faculties, — one  in  which  alone  we  find 
them  to  act  in  perfect  unison  with  concentrated  effect,  and 
this  our  complicated  mental  frame,  to  show  forth  all  the  har- 
mony designed  by  the  hand  of  its  Creator.  It  is  a  feeling 
analogous  to  that  of  manhood,  when  it  finds  the  proper  direc- 
tion and  combined  effect  of  those  powers  which  had  been 
lavished  separately,  and  without  object,  on  the  trifles  of  child- 
hood. For  example : — the  Christian  who  had  formerly  found, 
as  he  thought,  his  powers  of  understanding  so  vigorous,  so 
acute,  so  suitably  employed  in  the  questions  of  policy,  litera- 
ture, or  science,  discovers  now  that  they  were  coarse,  blunt, 
inadequate,  and  unsuitably  emplo3xd,  compared  with  those 
to  which,  in  the  service  of  the  spirit,  they  have  now  ripened, 
when  his  judgment  has  grown  up  to  that  intuitive  and  ex- 
quisite discernment  of  God's  will,  that  nice  selection,  amid 
the  daily  mass  of  occasions  placed  before  him,  of  what  shall 
contribute  best  to  his  own  spiritual  health,  and  most  redound 
to  the  honour- and  glory  of  his  Saviour;  setting  apart,  with 
unhesitating  distinction,  profit?ible  from  unprofitable,  holy 
from  unholy,  lasting  from  fleeting,  what  is  of  God  from  what 
is  of  man ;  when  his  power  of  abstraction  is  spent  no  longer 
on  unpractical  dreams,  but  grasps  real  spiritual  essences ; 
when  his  foresight  pushes  far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  life ; 
and  when  his  power  of  attention  has  become  an  absorption, 
by  which  he  can  shake  off"  at  will  the  distracting  intrusion  of 
the  world. 

Meanwhile,  the  power  of  imagination,  that  fruitful  source 


NATURAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  BIRTH.  155 

of  virtue  and  crime,  of  joy  and  sorrow,  controlled  now  in  its 
course  by  those  improved  powers,  fastens  upon  what  is  pure, 
turns  away  from  what  is  impure.  It  draws  out  before  him, 
in  visible  series,  God's  mercies  and  dealings  with  mankind  ; 
it  brings  home  to  his  heart  all  that  is  detailed  in  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, of  his  suffering  and  triumphant  Saviour ;  embodies  his 
holy  attributes,  renders  sensible  his  presence,  and  continually 
holds  up  to  his  mind  that  which  it  is  his  prime  object  to 
realize,  the  model  of  the  X^hristian  character ;  depicturing  all 
his  graces  and  acquirements,  suggesting  his  pure  and  un- 
worldly sentiments,  his  towering  thoughts,  his  unceasing 
homage  to  God,  unwearied  charity  to  man,  his  meekness,  pa- 
tience, hope,  fortitude,  and  presenting  his  crown  of  everlast- 
ing glory,  and  the  peace  of  the  world  to  come. 

Similar,  too,  is  the  improvement  of  his  affections,  which 
being,  in  the  first  instance,  generated  and  nurtured  by  healthy 
exercise  upon  their  proper  objects  on  earth,  and  thence  lifted 
up  to  God,  their  final  object,  in  whom  alone  they  find  their 
craving  satisfied,  and  object  permanent,  return  upon  the  ob- 
jects of  daily  duty,  endued  with  a  constancy  superior  to  all 
caprice  of  chance  or  change,  founded  upon  a  new  and  unfail- 
ing basis.  The  Christian  loves,  for  Christ  loved  him ;  for- 
gives, for  through  Christ  he  was  forgiven  ;  is  humble,  for  he 
is  a  fellow  in  sin;  is  charitable,  for  he  is  a  brother  in  redemp- 
tion ;  is  patient,  for  he  is  an  heir  of  salvation.  Even  the 
commonest  gifts  and  qualities  grow  up  into  estimable  Chris- 
tian graces  ;  passive  good  nature  is  exalted  into  active  charity, 
sanguine  temper  into  lively  hope,  flow  of  spirits  into  angelic 
cheerfulness,  diffidence  into  humility,  a  quiet  spirit  into  forti- 
tude, contentment  into  devotion. 

Thus,  from  his  communion  with  the  spiritual  world,  the 
Christian  comes  as  from  the  presence  of  God,  with  his 
faculties  refined  and  affections  purified,  carrying  into  the 
world  of  flesh  around  him,  like  Moses  from  the  mountain, 
traces  of  the  high  communion  in  which  he  has  been  engaged. 
But  his  illumination  is  not  of  the  face,  but  of  the  mind ;  not 
to  be  done  away,  but  introductory  to  greater. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  coincidences  which  may  be  brought 
forward  to  illustrate  the  analogy  of  the  growth  of  body  and 
spirit,  the  Holy  Ghost  supplying  a  continual  inspiration  of 
life  to  its  creature,  just  as  the  Creator  supplies  the  breath  of 
his  nostrils  to  the  man.  It  is  difficult  perhaps  to  pursue  such 
an  analogy  far,  without  inadvertently  falling  into  the  error  of 


156  ON  THE  ANALOGY  OP  THE 

describing  spiritual  operations  as  too  mncli  allied  to  corpo- 
real ;  and  much  caution  is  required  in  drawing  deductions 
from  metaphorical  illustrations,  where  the  line  of  correct 
doctrine  can  be  kept  only  by  incessant  reference  to  other 
considerations,  which  haste,  or  the  natural  fondness  of  push- 
ing- an  analogy,  is  too  apt  to  overlook.  None,  however,  will 
dispute  the  conclusion,  that  spiritual  amendment  must  be  a 
work  of  time.  Its  commencement,  indeed,  must,  like  our 
birth  into  the  sensible  world,  be  momentary,  whether  it  be 
referred  to  our  entrance  by  baptism  into  the  Church  of  the 
Christ  and  God,  or  to  the  first  awakening  impression  of  spi- 
ritual things  upon  the  worldly-minded  heart.  But  we  may 
as  well  expect  the  perfect  man  to  issue  from  his  mother's 
womb,  as  conceive  the  Christian  to  be  completely  formed  in 
the  instant  of  his  first  turning  his  heart  from  the  world  to 
God.  Were  we  to  proceed  with  the  analogy,  we  should 
conclude,  inasmuch  as  the  nobler  creature  is  longer  in  arriving 
at  maturity,  and  as  the  creature  thus  born  admits  neither  of 
old  age  nor  of  death,  that  the  spiritual  man  was  longer  in 
forming  than  the  natural.  Not,  however,  to  insist  upon  this, 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  is  a  long  process  to  be 
undergone  before  a  positive  growth  in  spirit  can  be  said  to 
commence :  previous  affections  must  be  weaned,  passions 
subdued,  faculties  diverted  from  a  wrong  channel.  And, 
moreover,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  the  full  measure  of  the 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  poured  upon  the  mind  at  once : 
it  is  distributed  by  successive  portions,  increasing  in  propor- 
tion to  what  is  already  maintained  and  turned  to  its  proper 
account  there.  For,  as  our  Lord  himself  says,  "To  him  that 
hath  shall  much  be  given,  and  from  him  that  hath  not  shall 
be  taken  away,  even  what  he  hath." 

Great,  therefore,  on  every  consideration,  is  the  danger  of 
procrastination,  and  even  to  speak  of  the  past  in  the  solemn 
phrase  of  lost  moments  never  to  be  recovered,  is  to  express 
but  half  of  the  melancholy  truth.  For  every  one  of  these 
moments,  however  swift  of  foot,  or  light  of  burden,  has  left 
its  impression  for  good  or  for  evil  upon  the  mind,  according  to 
its  state,  clean  or  unclean ;  just  as  the  same  outward  impress- 
ions which  bring  health  to  healthy  organs,  but  aggravate 
the  disease  of  the  unhealthy.  There  is  no  middle  point :  if 
we  go  not  forward,  we  go  backward;  if  we  be  not  standing, 
we  are  falling;  if  we  be  not  in  health,  we  are  in  decay.  Do 
we  delay  on  the  idea  of  being  able  to  commence  the  work  of 


NATURAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  BIRTH.  157 

religious  amendment,  and  start  into  newness  of  life,  at  will  ? 
Every  consideration  is  opposed  to  an  idea  confessedly  so 
absurd,  and  yet  so  commonly  acted  upon.  It  is  indeed  a 
strong'  proof  of  our  delusion,  that,  with  the  analogy  of  the 
body  before  our  eyes,  and  that  body,  too,  often  suffering  for 
the  sins  of  the  mind,  we  should  think  to  resume  our  moral 
health  at  pleasure :  that  while  months,  and  even  years,  of 
painful  and  cautious  regimen,  are  often  necessary  to  re-estab- 
lish the  one,  a  few  hurried  days  are  at  all  times  sufficient  for 
the  restoration  of  the  other.  That  wound,  and  bruise,  and 
putrifying  sOre,  which  for  the  best  part  of  life  have  been 
cankering  and  eating  into  the  mind,  shall  cease  at  once  their 
horrid  repast,  upon  the  bare  expression  of  our  wish  for  health, 
and  sorrow  for  their  origin. 

The  human  mind,  however  inattentive  we  may  be  to  its 
operations,  is  all  along  growing  up  towards  a  certain  system : 
feelings  are  becoming  rooted,  thoughts  are  interlacing  one 
with  another,  according  to  some  predominant  principle,  which 
at  last,  assuming  sovereign  sway,  excludes  all  such  as  will 
not  bend  to  the  general  organization  which  it  has  established. 
If  this  principle,  therefore,  have  nothing  in  common  with  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  will  in  the  end  effectually  exclude 
all  sense  of  its  necessity,  and  almost  of  its  existence ;  and 
if  it  be  not  actually  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  it  will  admit  but 
of  partial  views  of  that  which  w^e  ought  to  comprehend  as  a 
whole.  Languor  and  listlessness  are  the  consequence,  and 
repeated  stumbling,  from  ignorance  and  carelessness,  makes 
us  disgusted  with  the  road  which  has  been  pointed  out.  We 
are  blaming  in  our  hearts  the  severity  of  God,  when  we  have 
to  complain  only  of  our  own  want  of  energy ;  and  accusing 
the  niggardness  of  light,  which  our  earnest  and  sincere  exer- 
tion is,  according  to  his  holy  promise,  assured  of  obtaining 
in  satisfjdng  fulness. 

It  is  in  perfect  accordance  with  this  narrowness  of  view,  to 
sit  down  in  idle  expectation  of  some  peculiar  summons  to 
begin  upon  the  work  of  newness  of  life,  as  if  all  had  not  been 
summoned  by  their  acquaintance  with  that  Gospel,  in  the 
very  front  of  which  it  is  written, — "  Repent,  for  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  at  hand  ;"  as  if  all  required  that  palpable  inter- 
ference which  called  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  to  his  vast 
and  extraordinary  charge.  But  have  they  indeed  had  no  call? 
Has  God  never  been  challenging  their  attention  amid  the 
multifarious  incidents  which   he  has  strewn  in  their  daily 


158  ON  THE  ANALOGY  OF  THE 

course,  and  the  many  desires  or  reluctances  with  which  he  has 
informed  their  spirit  1  Have  tliey  no  remembrance  of  resolu- 
tions formed  from  time  to  time,  none  of  hours  of  repentance, 
none  of  hours  of  hope,  none  of  hours  of  that  holy  calm  which 
instantly  overspreads  the  bosom  when  it  has  formed  some 
pious  determination "?  All  these  were  consequent  upon  some 
call  of  God,  and  are  evidences  that  he  has  not  been  forgetful  of 
them.  But  if  they  pass  by  such  as  these,  in  expectation  of 
something  more  rousing,  more  special,  of  what  nature  may 
we  reasonably  conclude  that  to  be  which  they  await  so  com- 
placently ?  God's  ordinary  dealings  with  man  lead  us  to 
presume  that  it  will  come  in  the  shape  of  some  overwhelm- 
ing visitation,  which  shall  scatter  their  habitual  frame  of 
thought  to  the  winds,  dissevering  all  their  usual  links,  and 
turning  them  with  their  affections  from  earth,  weeping  and 
dropping  blood  like  the  fabled  myrtle ;  so  that  all  being  once 
again  disentangled,  they  may  grow  together  anew  according 
to  a  new  principle,  which  is  Christ  in  the  mind  and  in  the 
heart.  O,  let  no  one  wait  for  such  a  call  as  this  to  his  duty ! 
We  have  now  but  just  advanced  within  the  commencement 
of  one  of  those  revolutions  of  time  by  which  we  number  the 
days  of  our  sojourn  upon  earth;  a  period  upon  which  the 
most  careless  are  accustomed  to  bestow  some  reflections ; — 
for  who  can  avoid  throwing  back  a  look  upon  days  now 
parted  for  ever,  and  upon  time  which  can  never  be  recovered? 
Happy  he  who,  in  his  present  state  of  mind  and  practice,  can 
find  substantial  records  of  past  moments :  to  him,  though 
bodily,  they  are  not  spiritually,  past ;  they  have  an  indissolu- 
ble link  with  the  future, — they  are  the  palpable  earnest  of  eter- 
nal life, — the  first-fruits,  picked  here  and  there,  of  an  abundant 
harvest.  Far  different,  indeed,  is  he  whose  restrospect  is  but 
a  dream  of  barren  thoughts  and  idle  pursuits,  where  all  is  in 
wild  disorder  without  the  one  grand  object  to  unite  them,  and 
runs  from  the  grasp  of  memory  as  freely  as  the  sands  of  the 
hour-glass  which  have  measured  those  precious  moments. 
To  him  may  well  be  addressed  the  words  of  the  apostle, — 
"  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead,  and 
Christ  shall  give  thee  ligbt,"  for  he  has  been  indeed  sleeping; 
and  the  dreamer  has  been  indulging,  amid  darkness  and  night, 
in  fantastic  and  unbridled  thoughts;  he  has  been  enjoying  a 
world  of  his  own,  where  he  himself  has  been  creator,  and  not 
God,  where  all  has  gone  according  to  his  own  capricious 
imagination,  and  the  will  of  God  has  found  no  place ;  the 


NATURAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  BIRTH.  159 

sights  and   sounds  of  God's  world  have  been  excluded,  and. 
he  has  wasted  the  precious  moments,  reckless  of  place,  insen- 
sible to  the  lapse  of  time,  holding  converse  with  unsubstan- 
tial beings,  expending  his  affections  upon  fleeting  shadows. 

"Life  is  a  dream,"  said  the  natural  man.  Let  no  Chris- 
tian account  of  it  so ;  for  it  is  to  him  a  time  allotted  by  God 
for  beginning  and  completing  a  most  momentous  work, — a 
work  which  is  sufficient  to  fill  up  every  part  of  it,  to  whatever 
length  it  may  be  extended, — which  requires  the  ardour  of 
youth,  the  steadiness  of  manhood,  and  the  caution  of  old  age. 
Let  him  not,  therefore,  defer  an  employment,  the  very  com- 
mencement of  which  becomes  daily  more  unsuitable  to  his 
years,  and  be  like  the  tree  which,  when  it  should  be  bearing 
fruit,  is  but  blossoming ;  for  thus  the  very  purpose  of  life  will 
be  eluded,  and  a  work,  whose  difficulties  demand  the  pride 
and  bloom  of  the  faculties,  will  be  first  imposed  upon  them  in 
their  decay ;  and  what  requires  unabated  vigour,  unwearied 
watchfulness,  unexhausted  spirits,  will  be  reserved  for  a  bed 
of  sickness,  or  decline  of  years,  seasons  of  langour,  indiffer- 
ence, and  irresolution.  True  it  is,  that  highly-gifted  men 
have  before  now  spoken  in  fond  and  complacent  anticipation 
of  setting  apart  some  work,  as  the  suitable  employment  and 
fit  solace  of  their  old  age.  But  how  different  was  the  nature 
of  that  work  from  that  which  we  have  in  contemplation. 
That  was  a  work  pleasingly  associated  with  the  past,  not 
anxiously  connected  with  the  prospect  of  the  future ;  it  was  a 
natural  confirmation  of  previous  habits,  not  a  violent  altera- 
tion ;  it  was  an  amusement,  not  a  toil ;  a  minister  to  the 
mind,  of  pleasure,  and  not  of  pangs. 

To-day,  therefore,  while  it  is  called  to-day,  the  work  should 
commence.  Who  knows  what  impediments  the  morrow  may 
bring  1  It  may  bring  friends  to  delude,  or  enemies  to  con- 
found ;  it  may  introduce  calamity  to  bewilder  our  senses, 
sickness  to  paralyze  our  exertions,  or  death  to  cut  short  at 
once  our  miserable  vacillation. 

Each  day,  as  it  successively  becomes  to-day,  is  all  that  we 
can  call  our  own :  let  us  make  it  truly  God's  too,  by  dedi- 
cating it  to  his  service,  in  sincere  endeavours,  by  newness  of 
life  here,  to  realize  the  promise  of  everlasting  life  in  the  world 
to  come,  which  he  has  given  us  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Saviour. 


160 


DISSERTATION  XII. 


ON   THE    REWARD   OF    OBEDIENCE. 

But  we  trusted  that  it  should  have  been  he  which  should  have 
redeemed  Israel. — Luke  xxiv.  21. 

A  PRIZE  no  less  than  everlasting  happiness  is  proposed  to  the 
endeavours  of  man  when  he  diligently  seeks  God.  We  have 
already  seen  that  the  expectation  of  this,  which  is  so  neces- 
sary both  to  engage  him  in  the  struggle  of  well-doing  in  the 
first  instance,  and  to  support  him  in  it  ever  afterwards,  was 
held  forth  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  Church;  and  Scrip- 
ture assures  us  that  it  was  earnestly  cherished  by  Enoch,  by 
Job,  by  Abraham,*  by  Moses, — testimony  being  also  borne  to 
the  latter  in  a  very  remarkable  passage  (Matth.  xxii.  31),  by 
the  great  Bishop  of  our  souls  himself,  and  in  short,  distinctly 
informs  us  that  it  was  a  doctrine  of  the  Patriarchal  and  Jewish 
church."!' 

From  the  first  to  the  last  prophecy,  the  ground  of  this  hope 
is  laid  in  a  Redeemer  to  come ;  but  the  way  in  which  God 
drew  the  attention  of  the  members  of  his  church  upon  it  is 
different. 

On  that  second  apostacy  of  man,  which  drew  on  the  dread- 
ful visitation  of  the  flood,  God  treated  him  as  a  creature  in  a 
still  lower  state  of  degradation ;  he  dealed  with  him  as  with 
a  wayward  child,  who  is  to  be  won  to  obedience  by  cates  and 
delicacies,  and  not,  as  with  a  man,  by  cogency  of  reason. 
Man's  spiritual  sight  had  become  so  dim,  that  he  could  not 
look  on  the  distant  prospect  of  another  life,  without  some 

*  See  Hebr.  xi.  5,  10,  13,  14,  24. 

t  lb.  39,  &c.  The  whole  chapter  is  opposed  to  Bishop  Warbur- 
ton's  paradox. 


ON  THE  REWARD  OF  OBEDIENCE.  161 

middle  point.     To' the  original  promise,  therefore,  of  everlast- 
ing happiness,  still  remembered,  he  added  that  of  temporal 
bliss,  so  that  the  completion  of  the  one  promise  may  remind 
and  assure  him  of  the  certainty  of  the  other  also ;  that  the 
taste  of  blissfulness,  however  fleeting,  yet  coming  expressly 
from  God,  might  lead  his  infant  appetites  to  appreciate  the 
promised  happiness  which  should  endure  for  ever,  and  that 
the  toils  and  delays  which  are  rewarded  by  the  one  may  give 
him  experience,  and  render  him  patient,  long-suffering,  un- 
broken in  hope,  under  the  still  more  serious  difficulties  to  be  en- 
countered, through  a  still  longer  interval  of  suspense  in  the 
course  of  attaining  the  other.     Hence  Noah  was  both  assured 
against  a  repetition  of  the  calamity  of  the  flood,  and  at  the 
same  time  comforted  with  promises  of  fruitfulness  and  in- 
crease.    As  apostacy  revives  and  increases,  God  at  length 
interferes  again,  and  deals  with  man  as  reduced  a  degree 
lower  still.     For  under  the  Jewish   dispensation,   a  grand 
feature  of  which  was  the  settling  that  chosen  people  in  a  land 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  so  completely  is  the  promise 
directed  to  temporal  things,  that  we  need  not  wonder  why 
that  carnal  people,  in  despite  of  their  prophets,  continually  re- 
calling them  to  the  original  and  universal  spiritual  promise, 
should  have  fondly  imagined  that  themselves  were  the  end, 
and  not  the  vehicle,  and  that  the  magnificent  series  of  words 
and  deeds  proposed  by  God  to  their  ear  and  eye,  referred  but 
to   their  own   national  aggrandizement.     Of  this  prevailing 
state  of  feeling  we  have  a  signal  example  in  the  words  of  the 
text,  which  come  to  us  with  peculiar  interest  as  being  uttered 
by  men  whose  lives,  being  partly  under  the  old  dispensation 
and  partly  under  the  new,  (of  which  themselves,  under  Christ, 
were  founders,)  exhibited  in  the  first  all  the  pride  and  car- 
nality of  the  Jew,  in  the  second,  all  the  charity  and  spirituality 
of  the  Christian.     These   eminent  and  godly  persons  were 
among  the  first  who  grew  up  from  the  childhood,  under  which 
mankind  was  formerly  considered  in  God's  dealings,  to  the 
manhood  of  the  Gospel,  under  which  consideration  we  are 
now  treated. 

This  manner  of  God's  dealing  with  his  chosen  people  will 
appear  more  peculiar  and  distinct,  if  we  refer  to  the  situation 
of  the  Gentiles.  They  had  lost  the  original  promise,  or  only 
knew  it  by  a  tradition  so  faint  and  so  corrupt,  that  its  influ- 
ence was  completely  lost  upon  their  moral  conduct.  They 
had  no  reward  proposed  to  their  obedience  in  this  life,  or  in 
P 


162  ON  THE  REWARD  OF  OBEDIENCE. 

the  next.  What  a  contrast  do  they  present  to  the  people  of 
God,  even  taking  these  latter  at  their  very  lowest  degradation ! 
In  them  we  see  to  vv^hat  our  nature  was  indeed  reduced  by 
Adam's  transgression,  before  yet  it  was  raised  again  from  the 
dust  by  God's  gracious  promise.  Though  he  had  lost  both 
the  possession  and  expectation  of  perfect  happiness,  man  had 
still  the  appetite  for  it.  So  far  from  satisfying  him,  every 
enjoyment  administered  a  craving  for  one  more  intense  still ; 
and  while  the  beast  lay  down  satisfied  after  his  meal,  and 
reckless  of  the  future,  man  in  his  happiest  moments  was  un- 
happy still,  for  he  was  still  unsatisfied.  In  vain  the  philoso- 
pher sought  the  chief  good,  advanced  from  a  bright  to  a 
brighter ;  still  something  remained  behind  to  attain,  and  of 
that  he  in  vain  attempted  to  ascertain  the  nature.  The  search 
led  him  into  a  dim  and  tangled  region,  and  there  left  him  in 
miserable  perplexity. 

Thus  was  the  Jew,  in  his  temporal  blessings,  continually 
rebuked  for  his  unmindfulness  of  the  great  spiritual  blessing, 
and  the  Heathen  abandoned  to  his  ignorance  of  both,  when,  in 
the  fulness  of  time,  the   original  spiritual  promise  given  to 
Adam,  was  accomplished  in  Jesus  Christ.     The  restoration 
of  man  was  now  accomplished ;  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth  had  been  created,  and  man  also  morally  created  anew  in 
the  second  Adam.     The  life  to  come,  with  all  its  preparatory 
means,  had  been  actually  exemplified  before  the  eyes  of  the 
world.     Man,  therefore,  henceforward  needed  no  intermediate 
object  to  draw  him  on ;  he  rested  at  once  upon  the  great  end, 
which  was  now  near,  certain,  and  continually  in  sight.     In 
this  change  of  circumstances,  can  we  wonder  that  the  order  of 
the  objects  of  our  aim  is  reversed,  so  that  when  any  temporal 
blessing  is  pronounced,  it  is  merely  by  the  way,  and  quite 
accidental  to  the  spiritual  one ;  that  we  should  be  told  to  seek 
first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  then  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  us ;  and  that  while  their  ex- 
pectation of  spiritual  good  should  be  fed  and  maintained  by 
the  experience  of  temporal  good,  so  our  consciousness  of  pos- 
session should  be  proved  by   the  trial  of  temporary  evil  ? 
Here,  indeed,  lies  one  great  point  of  contrast ;  here  the  spi- 
rituality of  our  dispensation   is  peculiarly  shown.     Where 
temporal  blessings  are  a  reward,  and  therefore  temporal  afflic- 
tions are  naturally  looked  upon  as  a  punishment,  man,  who  is 
born  to  sorrow  as  the  sparks  fly  upward,  must  have  felt  as 
under  continual  bondage.     He  must  ever  be  either  suffering 


ON  THE  REWARD  OP  OBEDIENCE.  163 

the  scourge,  or  in  continual  apprehension  of  it.  And  though, 
as  appears  from  Scripture,  good  men  had  imbibed,  through 
God's  revelation,  proper  and  spiritual  notions  on  the  nature  of 
affliction,  yet  this  did  not  accord  with  the  deduction  generally 
drawn  from  the  law,  and  was  rather  the  easing  of  the  yoke  to 
a  favoured  few,  than  the  removal  of  it  from  any  one.  The 
very  promise  of  the  Holy  Land,  had  been  accompanied  with 
threats  of  expulsion;  and  as  that  was  the  title  to  all  his  joy, 
so  would  these  impart  a  character  to  affliction.  If  one  was 
the  reward  of  obedience,  the  other  was  the  punishment  of  dis- 
obedience. When,  too,  the  Jew  looked  to  his  history  for  the 
comfort  of  examples  of  affliction,  if  it  presented  him_  the  in- 
stance of  Job,  for  this  one  it  gave  him  many  others  of  a  very 
different  character.  It  offered  to  him  Sampson,  Eli,  Saul,  and 
David,  all  suffering  for  heavy  transgressions,  and  bearing  in 
their  body  the  marks  of  the  scourge  of  divine  vengeance. 
But  now  to  us  Christians,  since  temporal  blessings  are  but  acci- 
dentally our  reward,  of  course  bodily  sufferings  are  but  ac- 
cidentally our  punishment;  and  in  the  greater  number  of 
instances  can  be  regarded  but  as  the  turning  away  of  our  face 
from  the  importunate  allurement  of  temporal  enjoyment  to  the 
contemplation  of  spiritual ;  as  the  call  given  to  inattention, — 
as  the  warninofs  to  consider  the  fleeting  state  of  all  around, — as 
the  race  to  be  run  before  winning  the  crown, — as  the  refinmg 
fire  whence  the  saint  issues  forth  as  pure  and  undressed  gold. 
Therefore  they  have  been  proclaimed  to  us  in  company  with 
our  everlasting  inheritance,  by  him  who  said,  "  Blessed  are 
they  that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted."  They  are  not 
a  hindrance,  but  a  preparation.  And  therefore  where  Noah 
was  promised  the  fatness  of  the  earth,  and  Abraham  enjoyed 
its  inheritance,  we  are  warned  to  expect  its  toils  and  miseries ; 
where  they  were  bound  closer  to  earth,  we  are  rudely  shaken 
from  it ;  where  they  were  bidden  to  go  to  its  enjoyment,  we 
are  sent  to  its  denial.  To  us  the  world  is  indeed  crucified, 
nor  have  we  to  reck  either  of  its  blessings  or  its  sorrows,  ex- 
cepting in  so  far  as  we  regard  them  as  vehicles  of  grace ;  as 
furnishing  that  state,  and  affording  that  scope  of  action,  with- 
out which  the  Christian  character  cannot  be  developed. 
There  is  no  soldier  where  there  is  no  war,  and  no  victory 
where  there  is  no  battle.  Then  if  we  look  round  for  compan- 
ions in  affliction,  the  very  first  who  presents  himself  is  the 
great  Captain  of  our  salvation ;  and  we  are  amid  the  throng 
of  the  holy  army  of  martyrs,  and  all  the  elect  of  the  Church 


164  ON  THE  REWARD  OP  OBEDIENCE. 

of  Christ.  What  need  indeed  have  we  of  any  pledge  sup- 
plied by  bodily  blessings,  we  who  have  a  pledge  so  much 
more  palpable,  so  much  more  accordant  with  our  state  of  spi- 
ritual manhood ;  a  pledge  in  the  earnest  of  the  spirit,  in  a  real 
earnest,  not  in  a  gross  carnal  representation,  but  in  an  actual 
portion  of  the  bliss  to  come,  communicated  'through  the  sanc- 
tifying graces  of  the  spirit.  Thus  we  have  actually  a  part  of 
our  reward  in  our  hands,  and  not  the  bare  distant  prospect  be- 
fore our  eyes ;  we  see  our  freedom  and  election  in  the  very 
quarter  where  our  predecessor,  the  Jew,  saw  his  bondage  and 
reprobation.  We  are  daily  quelling,  through  these  means, 
some  earthly  enemy,  rising  from  conquest  to  conquest ;  con- 
tinually casting  off  something  of  the  old  man,  over  which 
Satan  was  victorious,  and  putting  on  something  of  the  new, 
which  is  victorious  over  Satan ;  gradually  growing  into  that 
image  which  has  been  restored  to  our  nature  through  our  great 
Redeemer,  and  approaching  to  that  bliss  of  immortality,  which, 
lost  by  the  first  Adam,  has  been  regained  for  us  by  the  second. 

But  this  peculiar  condition  of  the  Christian,  demands  also 
peculiar  considerations  on  his  part.  The  life  to  come  being 
placed  so  very  palpably  and  prominently  before  him,  and  cast- 
ing into  sTiadow  all  the  toils  and  troubles  of  this  life ;  being 
ever  present  to  us  as  the  grand  feature  of  the  Gospel,  mingling 
itself  with  all  our  thoughts  and  actions,  it  becomes  so  familiar 
to  our  minds, — so  completely  a  thing  of  course — that  we 
are  apt  to  lose  sight  of  the  extraordinary  value  of  the  gift,  and 
to  under-rate,  if  not  cast  out  of  account,  the  difficulties  which 
lie  in  the  way  of  attaining  it :  we  rest  in  the  end,  and  become 
too  indifferent  to  the  means.  Let  us  now,  therefore,  proceed 
to  inquire  into  the  view  with  which  we  should  contemplate 
this  prize,  referring,  for  the  sake  of  illustration,  to  those  con- 
siderations which  enhance  the  value  of  an  earthly  prize,  and 
which  may  be  reduced, — first,  to  our  inadequacy  of  desert; 
second,  to  the  distance  from  which  the  object  once  appeared 
to  be  removed  from  us ;  third,  to  the  difficulties  which  have 
been  overcome  in  the  way. 

On  the  first  ground,  let  us  look  into  our  own  hearts,  and 
consider  our  nature  as  it  is  absolutely,  without  any  relation  to 
what  it  has  received  from  God's  restoring  grace.  What  a 
scene  is  here  !  Can  we  discern  in  it  a  single  seed  of  ever- 
lasting peace  and  joy  T  If  it  is  to  inherit  such  a  blessed  state, 
surely  we  ought  to  espy  some  elements  of  such  in  its  consti- 
tution, and  if  the  immortal  principle,  of  which  we  feel  con- 


ON  THE  REWARD  OF  OBEDIENCE.  165 

scious  within  ourselves,  assures  us  of  a  world  to  come,  should 
there  not  be  corresponding  traces  in  our  frame  of  mind  to  as- 
sure us,  as  initiary  elements,  of  the  peace,  and  joy,  and  purity, 
of  that  world  to  come  1  But  now  let  us  look  at  that  promised 
state  of  blessedness  and  glory,  and  then  withdraw  our  eyes, 
to  fix  them  upon  our  own  bosoms.  Can  the  tumult  and  dis- 
quiet of  the  pride,  the  pangs  of  the  evil  passions,  the  darkness 
of  the  ignorance  which  confront  us  here,  have  the  least  in 
common  with  the  dazzling  brightness  of  the  peace,  and  inno- 
cence, and  knowledge,  which  met  us  there  I  Can  one,  by  any 
natural  possibility,  lead  to  the  other?  So  far  from  this, 
would  it  not  lead  in  a  totally  different  direction  1  Yea,  eter- 
nal death  itself  had  been  a  signal  mercy,  tiad  we  been  left 
thus  by  our  offended  Father  in  heaven.  For  that  immortality, 
of  which  we  have  the  seeds  within  us,  could  then  have  been 
no  other  than  that  enjoyed  by  the  fallen  angels ;  a  woful  pro- 
longation to  all  eternity  of  the  misery  and  degradation  ensu- 
ing upon  our  apostacy.  Had  death,  therefore,  been  our  final 
doom,  we  should  even  then  have  stood  in  the  place  of  a  par- 
doned criminal.  What  shall  we  say,  then,  if  God  hath  not 
only  pardoned  this  criminal,  but  even  restored  him  to  his  for- 
mer rank  and  state  of  enjoyment?  For  from  that  dreadful 
immortality  we  have  been  rescued  by  our  divine  Redeemer; 
so  that  passing  from  this  earthly  state  of  sin  through  death, 
we  may  rise  again  to  an  immortality  still  more  glorious  than 
that  in  which  the  first  man  was  placed.  Can  we  arrive  at 
any  thing  like  a  due  estimate  of  this  so  great  mercy  ;  may  we 
not  despair  of  so  doing  in  the  words  of  the  apostle, — "  O  the 
depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of 
God  !  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways 
past  finding  out."  (Rom.  xi.  33.) 

Let  us  add  to  this  the  price  at  which  this  seeming  impos- 
sibility of  the  union  of  our  sinful  nature  with  everlasting  in- 
nocence and  joy,  has  been  purchased,  being  no  less  than  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God  in  human  nature  upon  the  cross. 
What  shall  we  say  of  the  value  of  the  prize  proposed  to  us  1 
Let  the  purest,  the  most  heavenly-minded  among  us,  care- 
fully look  into  his  bosom,  discuss  his  own  words,  thoughts, 
and  deeds,  endeavour  thus  to  discover  his  own  real  position, 
and  then  gaze  up  at  the  place  to  which  his  Redeemer's  merits 
have  advanced  him.  He  will  confess  his  own  utter  ineffable 
unworthiness,  and  adore  the  unspeakable  love  of  Him  who 
brought  him  the  gift,  and  own,  with  tears  of  thankfulness  and 
p2 


166  ON  THE  REWARD  OF  OBEDIENCE. 

joy,  its  inestimable  value.  The  cross,  with  all  its  previous 
and  accompanying  sorrows,  pangs,  and  humiliation,  led  the 
way  to  the  glorification  of  our  human  nature  in  Jesus  Christ. 
On  this  contrast  we  should  fix  our  look  :  reading  in  the  one  the 
extreme  of  misery  and  sin  into  which  man  had  fallen,  behold-' 
ing  the  price,  exceeding  all  powers  of  calculation,  which  was 
requisite  to  procure  his  redemption,  to  free  him  from  the  ser- 
vitude of  a  tyrannous  master,  loth  to  forego  his  hold  of  a  slave 
so  manageable,  in  the  possession  of  whom  he  enjoyed  the 
consciousness  of  his  power ;  and  seeing  in  the  other  the  ex- 
ceeding bliss,  such  as  never  could  enter  into  the  thoughts  of 
man,  which  is  laid  in  store  for  him  in  the  world  to  come. 
From  this  constant  contemplation  let  him  learn  the  utter  in- 
adequacy of  his  own  deserts  of  eternal  happiness ;  and  in  full 
reliance  on  the  merits  of  his  Saviour's  sufferings,  in  deep  hu- 
mility at  his  own  total  unworthiness,  looking  to  the  end  in 
steady  and  joyful  hope,  so  work  out  his  own  salvation  with 
fear  and  trembling. 

On  the  second  ground,  we  carry  into  our  consideration  of 
this  heavenly  prize,  the  same  short-sighted  and  paltry  views 
as  we  take  up  in  our  pursuit  of  earthly  objects.  Of  these, 
whatever  their  intrinsic  value  may  be,  we  are  accustomed  to 
prefer  such  as  require  least  time  to  be  passed  in  the  toil  of 
attainment;  so  that  a  very  inferior  object,  attainable  through 
a  short  interval,  shall  be  preferred  to  a  far  more  excellent, 
coming  after  a  long  period  of  labour  and  expectation.  Thus 
we  think  and  act,  because  time,  in  proportion  to  its  length, 
admits  of  so  many  more  intervening  accidents,  of  so  many 
more  competitions,  of  so  much  more  which  may  snatch  the 
prize  from  our  grasp.  And  thus  the  more  splendid  prizes  of 
life  being  apparently  removed  from  any  given  individual's 
attainment,  seem  in  expectation  the  common  property  of 
all, — are  admired,  talked  of,  but  never  seriously  striven  after, 
except  by  minds  of  deep  foresight  and  energy,  which,  fully 
aware  of  the  difficulties,  have  also  determined  to  overcome 
them.  Now,  though  much  of  this  habit  of  thought  be  inap- 
plicable in  the  case  before  us,  since  neither  rivals  nor  fortune 
can  disappoint  our  exertions,  still  from  inveterate  habit  we 
carry  it  into  the  consideration  of  this  heavenly  reward ;  which, 
excellent  beyond  the  utmost  power  of  our  estimation,  as  all 
readily  allow  it  to  be,  yet  is  placed  at  a  far  greater  distance 
still  than  the  remotest  of  earthy  prizes,  being  even  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  this  life.     We  prefer,  therefore,  though  not 


ON  THE  REWARD  OP  OBEDIENCE.  1G7 

in  speculation,  yet  certainly  in  practice,  any  of  the  mean  and 
fleeting  enjoyments  of  the  world  present;  and  as  a  small 
object  placed  before  the  eye  will  cover  the  largest  at  a  dis- 
tance, so  do  the  worthless  prizes  of  this  life,  one  succeeding 
to  the  other,  cover  from  view  the  glorious  reward  of  the  life 
to  come.  It  is  well  for  us  if  we  can  obtain  a  steady  glimpse 
or  two  between  the  intervals  of  this  succession ;  and  better 
still  if  we  can  retain  the  impression  which  has  been  made. 
But  moreover,  those  very  points  which  render  our  mode  of 
contemplating  earthly  prizes  inapplicable  here,  add  to  our 
carelessness.  Where  the  chances  of  fortune  are  removed,  all 
seems  to  be  certainty ;  internal  impediments  are  forgotten, 
where  external  do  not  obtrude  on  our  sight, — where  all  may 
obtain,  all  are  slack ;  and  thus  the  small  degree  of  exer- 
tion which  is  seen  around  them,  comes  at  last  to  most  men  to 
appear  quite  adequate  to  the  end,  and  they  bestow  indiscrimi- 
nately on  themselves  and  their  friends,  the  certain  expectation 
of  this  precious  inheritance,  when  neither  they  nor  them- 
selves have  moved  perhaps  a  foot,  or  lifted  so  much  as  a 
hand,  or  directed  even  an  eye  towards  the  desire  of  its  attain- 
ment. 

On  the  third  ground,  of  the  difliculties  to  be  surmounted, 
men  are  apt  to  run  into  extremes, — the  reckless  never  bestow 
a  thought  upon  them, — those  who  for  the  first  time  opening 
their  eyes  to  the  prospect  of  eternity,  are  too  apt  to  be  scared 
at  the  awful  front  which  they  present :  habitual  contemplation 
alone  can  place  them  in  their  proper  point  of  view,  and  ad- 
minister a  wholesome  fear  to  the  carelessness  of  the  one,  and 
supply  a  cheerful  hope  to  the  despondency  of  the  other.  If 
the  attainment  be  indeed  so  easy,  to  what  purpose  were  the 
incredible  toils  and  sufferings  of  the  apostles,  and  all  the 
martyrs  and  confessors  of  the  church  ?  If  it  be  so  insurmount- 
ably difficult,  who  even  of  that  glorious  company  can  be  pro- 
nounced among  the  saved  ]  But  however  impossible  to  man, 
this  is  possible  to  God ;  and  his  grace  preventing  and  further- 
ing us,  will  gain  us  the  victory  in  the  end.  Without  this 
all  human  exertion  were  indeed  vain :  as  well  would  man 
attempt  to  move  the  earth  towards  heaven.  While  we  have 
the  assurance  of  this  help  from  above,  who  shall  despond, 
who  rather  shall  not  be  sanguine  1  But  let  him  be  sanguine, 
and  derive  the  testimony  to  the  possession  of  this  grace,  from 
the  consciousness  of  his  own  exertions ;  let  him  expect  grace 
from  God's  promise ;  let  him  find  its  possession  from  his  own 


168  ON' THE  REWARD  OF  OBEDIENCE. 

operations.  But  the  number  of  the  despondents  is  few  indeed, 
compared  with  that  of  the  confident.  Let,  then,  these  latter 
open  the  page  of  Scripture,  and  read  what  is  told  them  there. 
Are  we  not  there  told  that  our  fleshy  appetites  must  be  cruci- 
fied, even  as  our  Lord  was  crucified;  that  if  we  think  to 
enjoy  with  Christ,  we  must  also  suffer  with  himi  that  we  are 
soldiers  in  a  warfare,  wrestlers  in  a  struggle,  runners  in  a 
race "?  that  our  best  human  affections  may  be  taken  captive, 
that  our  faith  may  suffer  shipwreck,  that  our  surest  foot  may 
slide  or  stumble  1  and  thus  by  a  multitude  of  similar  figures 
scattered  throughout,  are  we  not  continually  called  back  from 
that  state  of  the  good  easy  man  in  which  we  are  so  fond  of 
indulging, — awakened  from  that  drowsiness  which  is  so  often 
surprising  us  %  And  yet  all  this  w^hile,  that  we  are  indifferent 
to  the  labours  which  shall  find  our  only  true  reward,  we  will 
not  cease  forsooth  from  those  toils  which  bring  the  rewards 
of  this  life,  paltry  and  fleeting  though  they  be.  O  no !  we 
will  put  body  and  mind  on  the  rack ;  w^e  will  sacrifice  peace, 
yea,  even  of  the  mind  ;  surrender  all  comforts  of  the  body ; 
rising  early  and  taking  rest  late,  looking  ever  steadfastly  and 
patiently  to  the  end.  All  this  we  will  do,  and  yet  shrink 
from  the  exertions  which  lead  to  eternal  life.  God  give  us 
grace  and  wisdom  to  estimate  the  nature  of  those  exertions, 
as  superior  in  excellence  to  such  as  procure  an  earthly  prize, 
as  their  reward  is.  These  are  often  hurtful,  even  fatal  to 
bodily  health :  those  nourish  our  spiritual  health.  These 
prepare  the  way  of  death,  those  of  everlasting  life.  This 
struggle  brings  into  play  all  the  uneasy  disquieting  affections 
of  our  corrupt  nature, — anger,  envy,  jealousy,  discontent, 
strife ;  nay,  even  heresy,  sedition,  and  murder.  While  that 
developes  all  the  Christian  graces,  unfolds  our  best  affections, 
long  suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temper- 
ance. This  may  indeed,  at  best,  serve  to  keep  the  mind,  by 
means  of  occupation,  from  sundry  temptations ;  but  that  puts 
it  beyond  all  possible  reach  of  them.  That,  is  a  spirit  dis- 
pelling the  whole  train  of  temptations ;  this,  is  often  slack 
and  interrupted,  because  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  prize.  To 
that  the  prize  is  as  certain  as  the  word  of  God,  who  is  truth, 
is  true.  This,  may  be  given  up  through  despair,  on  our  en- 
countering more  powerful  competitors :  that,  is  encouraged, 
and  never  can  be  depressed  by  rivalry.  Here  only  one  can 
attain,  there  all  may  be  rewarded.  This,  we  may  have  an 
aversion  to  engage  in  on  good  principles ;  that,  we  can  never 


ON  THE  REWARD  OP  OBEDIENCE.  169 

relinquish  but  upon  bad.  Sad  humiliating  testimony  all  this 
to  the  corruption  of  our  nature,  which  will  so  readily  under- 
take the  former ;  so  uniformly  and  willingly  turn  from  the 
latter. 

And  what  right  have  we,  restless  indefatigable  wordlings, 
to  complain  of  difficulties  1  do  we  not  consider  that  the  very 
difficulties  which  obstruct  the  road  of  attainment,  enhance 
the  value  of  an  earthly  prize ;  and  does  not  this  enhanced 
value  reflect  in  return  upon  the  difficulties,  and  lighten  their 
burden  1  and  shall  we  refuse  this  cheering  solace  in  seeking 
a  heavenly  prize ;  and  shall  we  who  can  be  so  patient  in 
working  even  against  God,  and  at  all  events  without  God, 
become  desponding  the  moment  that  we  begin  to  work  with 
him,  and  he  with  us  1 

But  some  one  may  here  object  that  we  have  a  clear  view 
of  our  earthly  prizes,  and  an  understanding  of  them  so  dis- 
tinct that  we  know  exactly  how  to  time,  to  temper,  and  to 
direct  our  exertions  ;  we  know  when  to  lie  down  in  security 
against  their  loss,  when  to  rise  up  in  the  certainty  of  their 
attainment,  and  thus  we  work  our  way  onward  with  the 
cheerful  willingness  arising  from  knowing  that  our  exertions 
are  proportionate.  But  we  are  to  a  very  great  extent  ignorant 
of  the  nature  of  our  heavenly  prize,  except  that  no  exertions 
of  man  can  of  themselves  be  proportionate,  and,  therefore,  we 
cannot  experience  that  readiness  and  reasonable  confidence. 
Now,  in  answer  to  this  we  may  be  content  to  ask  this  simple 
question :  Are  our  notions  indeed  so  clear  concerning  the 
nature  of  the  objects  of  our  worldly  exertions  1  What,  in- 
deed !  do  we  never  find  them  on  attainment  vastly  inferior  to 
the  appearance  which  they  made  when  in  prospect  1  do  we 
always  find  them  a  resting-point  upon  the  past,  or  but  the 
commencement  of  fresh  and  still  more  wearying  toils  to 
come  ]  do  we  find  them  all  that  we  expected,  or  of  an  entirely 
contrary  nature, — opposed  as  gall  to  honey,  as  war  to  peace, 
as  life  to  death, — and  telling  us  that  we  have  sown  the  wind, 
and  reaped  the  whirlwind  1  do  we  set  up  there  our  staff  of  rest, 
or  on  our  arrival  hear  a  voice  cry  out,  "  On,  on,"  and  find  at 
this  long-expected  stage  of  bliss,  that  to  stay  is  imminent 
hazard,  to  go  on  is  destruction,  to  return  is  an  impossibility? 
If  faithful  experience  informs  us  thus  of  our  real  ignorance  of 
the  true  nature  of  our  earthly  prizes,  shall  we  carp  at  our 
everlasting  reward,  which  indeed  is  not,  as  they  are,  contrary 
to  our  previous  notions,  but  infinitely  surpassing  them ;  while 


170  ON  THE  REWARD  OF  OBEDIENCE. 

more  of  its  nature  has  been  revealed,  there  is  more  than  enough 
to  engage  us  with  all  confidence  to  seek  to  attain.  What !  do 
not  these  objectors  take  measures  for  length  of  life  1  here  is 
life  eternal.  Do  they  not  strive  for  fading  earthly  crowns  T 
here  is  an  everlasting  heavenly  crown.  Do  they  not  covet 
peace,  rest,  joy,  gladness  ?  here  is  peace,  rest,  joy,  gladness, 
unutterable,  inextinguishable.  All  that  is  lovely,  all  that  is 
of  good  report,  all  that  is  truly  desirable  in  the  prizes  of  this 
world  is  to  be  found  here,  and  in  a  higher  state  of  perfection 
in  the  proportion  of  heaven  to  earth ;  nay  more,  even  our 
sense  of  enjoyment,  exquisite  as  it  may  seem,  and  full  of 
blessing  to  us,  even  when  most  spiritualized, — is  but  an  ele- 
ment, poor  and  beggarly,  of  that  taste  of  unutterable  bliss, 
which  shall  be  the  joy  of  the  world  to  come.  Independently, 
therefore,  even  of  God's  constant  help  and  encouragement, 
we  work  onwards  in  this  case  with  a  more  reasonable  hope 
than  in  the  case  of  the  most  assured,  best  understood,  and 
most  highly  valued  of  earthly  prizes.  Again,  what  right 
have  we  to  complain  of  difficulties,  if  he  who  hath  proposed 
the  prize  hath  duly  forewarned  us  of  them, — hath  directed  us 
how  to  overcome  them,  and  pledged  to  us  his  assistance  in 
overcoming  them :  when  he  has  set  both  before  us,  shall  we 
think  to  take  up  the  one  without  the  other,  the  wages  without 
the  labour  1  No, — to  this  latter  we  must  direct  our  chief 
attention,  as  the  means  to  the  former ;  we  must  weigh  well 
the  cost,  and  instead  of  resting  in  easy  security  on  the  end, 
or  looking  with  vain  and  ambitious  curiosity  into  the  nature 
and  degree  of  the  fruition  of  the  glory  which  God  hath  not 
revealed,  diligently  address  ourselves  to  the  duties  which  he 
has  revealed,  which  he  demands  of  us  as  heirs  of  that  glory. 
Our  reward  is  indeed  in  heaven,  but  we  and  our  work  are 
upon  earth ;  there  is  the  bliss,  and  the  life  eternal ;  here  is 
the  Cross,  and  the  grave  :  not  that  earth  and  his  toils  on  earth 
are  to  have  the  entire  eye  of  the  Christian,  and  that  it  shall 
never  be  lifted  up  to  take  in  the  ample  bright  sky  of  bliss  and 
glory  above.  For  to  that  glory,  even  the  invisible  glory 
which  the  Son  enjoys  with  the  Father,  every  face  in  heaven 
and  in  earth,  of  angels  and  of  men,  must  be  turned  in  rapt 
contemplation,  crying  out  in  spirit  to  one  another,  "  Holy, 
holy,  holy.  Lord  God  of  Host,  heaven  and  earth  are  full  of 
thy  glory."  The  contemplation  of  this  is  in  fact  the  food  of 
intelligence  to  every  rational  being,  in  all  gradations  down  to 
man;  and  exclusion  from  this  is  to  man  that  second  death, 


ON  THE  REWARD  OP  OBEDIENCE.  171 

which  shuts  out  from  the  invisible  realms  of  our  Lord  and 
Master,  even  as  the  first  does  from  the  visible.     This  accord- 
ing- to  the  degree  of  intensity  with  which  it  is  viewed,  assigns 
to  every  intelligent  being  his  rank  in  the  creation,    and  its 
degree  of  perception   distinguishes    the   spiritual   from   the 
natural  man.     But  far  different  from  such  a  contemplation   is 
the  vain  and  curious  anticipation  of  that  glory  which  shall 
be  imparted  to  the  faithful,  in  the  kingdom  of  the  next  world; 
for  this,  drawing  away  the  attention  from  the  work  set  before 
us,  no  less  than  from  the  real   glory  before  mentioned,  is  as 
unsure  and  unfounded  as  it  is  impure  and  selfish.     It  is  the 
fabric   of  worldly  lust  and   ambition,   the   heaven  which  we 
build  for   ourselves  on   pride ;  it  is  a  view  so  gross  and  so 
unworthy,  that  we   cannot  but  embody  it  in  our  human  pas- 
sions and  conceptions, — a  state  into  which  we  admit  ourselves 
by  thrusting   others  out,   and  therefore,  like   the   disciples, 
whose  words   have  been   quoted  for  the   text,  we   shall   be 
grievously   disappointed   in   the  hour   of  trial.     Whenever, 
therefore,  we  do  contemplate  the  glory  which  shall  reward 
the  faithful  servants  of  Christ,  we  must  look  at  it  with  that 
comprehensive  glance,  which  shall  at  the  same  time  include 
all  the  difficulties  which  lie  in  the  way ;  with  a  heart  set  at 
least  as  much  upon  suffering  and  overcoming  the  one,  as  upon 
attaining  and  possessing  the   other.     The  future   bliss  will 
thus  be  to  us  in  spirit,  what  the  sun  is  in  the  body  to  the  man 
who  is  intent  upon  his  work  before  him.    For  that  sun,  while 
it  shines  over  his  head,  cheers  him  in  his  toils,  lights  him  to 
his  labour,   enabling  him  to  direct  his  hand  unerringly  to  its 
object,  and  satisfies  him  with   the  consciousness  of  its  pre- 
sence, imprest  by  its  effects  ;  yet  will  not  bear  long  and  di- 
rect contemplation,  without  dazzling  his  sight,  and  rendering 
the  idle  gazer  inefficient  for  his  work.     And  assuredly  the 
work  set  before  the  labourer  in  Christ's  vineyard  demands  all 
his  clearness  of  vision,  all  his  steadiness  of  contemplation ;  that, 
unseduced  and  undismayed  by  appearances,  he  may  penetrate 
through  them  into  realities,  turning  away  from  unsubstantial 
good  to  look  with  an  unaverted  eye  upon  danger  and  trouble, 
— upon  agony,  the  cross  and  the  grave ;  and  thence  at  length 
to  gaze  up  in  unshrinking  hope  at  the  glory  which  shall  be 
revealed  in  the  end. 

Having  drawn  a  lesson  from  the  errors  of  these  two  disci- 
ples, let  us  derive  anotlier  from  their  correction  of  those  er- 
rors.    If,  at  the  moment  of  their  uttering  those  despondent 


172  ON  THE  REWARD  OF  OBEDIENCE. 

words,  they  were  the  predecessors  of  all  those  unstable 
Christians,  who,  offended  with  the  uncalculated  and  continual 
struggle  to  be  undergone  by  spirit  against  flesh ;  thrown  into 
despair  by  the  hourly  jeopardy  in  which  they  are  held  by  sur- 
rounding trials  and  temptations ;  and  tost  about  by  the  fluc- 
tuation of  their  own  unsettled  notions,  and  by  winds  of 
diverse  doctrines,  and  longing  for  rest  and  finding  none,  cry 
out  in  their  vexation  and  disappointment,  "  we  thought  it  had 
been  he  who  should  redeem  Israel ;" — so  also  were  they,  in  their 
after-life,  the  predecessors  of  all  those  Christians,  who  have 
persevered  unshaken  to  the  end,  and  have  bequeathed  to  us  a 
glorious  example  of  what  the  Spirit  of  God  can  effect  in  the 
heart  of  man.  They  were  among  the  captains  of  that  noble 
host  of  martyrs  and  confessors,  who  fought  a  long  and  un- 
wearied fight,  in  the  cause  of  their  Master,  against  the  world 
and  its  prince ;  who  struggled  daily,  and  daily  triumphed, 
against  pains  of  body,  pangs  of  mind ;  who,  familiar  with 
sorrow  as  their  most  intimate  companion  in  this  life,  ate  their 
bread  amid  groans,  and  mingled  their  drink  with  tears ;  to 
whom  all  things  came  adverse ;  whom  nothing  disheartened ; 
to  whom  loss  of  fortune,  loss  of  friends,  cold,  hunger,  naked- 
ness, and  the  sword,  came  as  signals  from  their  blessed 
leader, — as  in  the  crisis  of  a  desperate  battle, — to  take  up  a 
new  and  still  more  perilous  post,  and  engage  with  redoubled 
ardour ;  who  quitted  the  world  as  conquerors,  leaving  behind 
them  an  enemy,  with  whom  they  had  made  no  compromise, 
to  whom  they  had  surrendered  no  fortress. 


173 


DISSERTATION  XIII. 

THE  PROFESSION  OF  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 

Seeing  then  that  we  have  a  great  High  Priest,  that  is  passed 
into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our 
profession. — Heb.  iv.  14. 

The  word  Profession  is  used  in  Scripture  in  two  senses; 
either  properly,  for  the  free  acknowledgment  of  our  belief  in 
the  promises  of  God ;  or  improperly,  for  those  promises  them- 
selves. Either  sense  will  suit  the  passage  before  us,  and 
bring  it  to  the  same  result  in  meaning.  We  will,  however, 
consider  it  in  the  former  sense,  inasmuch  as  it  necessarily 
implies  the  latter,  and  affords  more  scope  for  a  full  examina- 
tion of  the  text. 

At  the  moment  when  man  is  admitted  into  covenant  with 
God,  or  performs  any  act,  as  prayer  or  sacrifice,  under  that 
covenant,  it  is  necessary  that  he  bring  with  him  two  things ; 
namely,  repentance,  by  which  he  shall  renounce  the  past, 
and  faith,  by  which  he  shall  accept  the  future ;  meeting  with 
the  one,  the  forgiveness  of  God, — with  the  other,  his  gifts  of 
grace  and  the  life  to  come.  These,  which  are  the  subjects  of 
his  private  acknowledgment  before  God,  are  also  the  grounds 
of  his  profession  before  men.  These  supply  the  declarations 
of  his  lips,  these  are  the  base  and  support  of  his  practice.  By 
the  uninterrupted  exhibition  of  these  in  word  and  deed  through 
life,  he  holds  fast  his  profession. 

The  nature  of  that  repentance,  and  of  that  faith,  as  held  in 
the  different  stages  of  the  church,  we  have  already  seen. 
According  as  they  are  more  deep  and  full,  the  profession  will 
be  more  strict  and  firm.  There  is,  moreover,  a  circumstance 
accompanying  this  profession,  which  requires  our  notice,  and 
which  will  be  found  to  vary  in  the  different  periods. 


174  THE  PROFESSION  OF  A  MEMBER  OF 

In  his  communications  with  man,  God  deposits  ever  with 
him  some  pledge  by  which  to  assure  him.  And  thus  we  find 
the  inspired  men  of  old,  as  Isaiah  and  Zachariah,  demanding 
of  God  a  sign,  in  order  to  be  certified  of  the  reality  of  the 
communication.  Again, — societies  formed  amongst  men 
necessarily  require  some  badge  by  which  their  members  shall 
be  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  mankind.  When  God, 
therefore,  establishes  his  covenant  with  a  portion  of  mankind, 
these  two  reasons  will  concur  to  distinguish  them  by  a  mark, 
which,  on  the  part  of  God,  will  be  some  symbol  or  represen- 
tation of  the  benefit  conferred  ;  on  the  part  of  man,  a  badge, 
reminding  him  of  his  peculiarity  amid  the  great  body  of  man- 
kind.    Such  marks  are  circumcision  and  baptism. 

Where,  then,  it  may  be  asked,  is  the  mark  impressed  on  the 
member  of  the  Patriarchal  church  1  In  the  first  place,  since 
this  church  contained  all  mankind,  none  could  be  necessary 
on  the  part  of  man.  Again,  on  the  part  of  God,  on  whose 
covenant  with  Adam  that  church  was  founded,  the  very  exist- 
ence of  man,  which  had  been  forfeited,  and  then  restored  in 
Adam, — the  very  sight  of  fellow  men, — the  very  breath 
which  each  each  moment  drew,  was  a  symbol  most  significant 
indeed ;  a  symbol,  too,  which,  however  added  to,  has  never 
been  superseded.  As  we  all,  at  this  very  day,  bear  in  our 
bodies  the  traces  of  the  offence  of  Adam,  so  do  we  also  of 
his  pardon. 

It  may  also  be  asked,  why,  since  in  Christ  the  church  is 
once  more  opened  to  all  mankind,  is  the  badge  of  baptism 
required]  That  it  was  necessary  on  the  part  of  God,  as 
entering  into  covenant  with  man,  we  have  seen.  That  it  is 
necessary  on  the  part  of  man  is  evident,  because,  though  all 
are  actually  born  of  the  flesh  of  the  first  Adam,  all  are  but 
potentially  born  in  the  spirit  of  the  second  Adam,  and  this 
distinction  will  obtain  to  the  end.  The  Patriarchal  church 
was  founded  in  the  hope  of  the  Redeemer  to  come, — a  hope 
which  would  be  the  inheritance  of  all  mankind  down  from 
their  head  and  representative:  the  Christian  church  was 
founded  on  the  accomplishment  of  the  Redeemer  come,  and 
men  have  no  general  representative  under  whom  they  can  be 
certified  of  this  fact ;  they  must  come  to  the  knowledge  of  it 
gradually  and  partially.  This  farther  appears  fiom  the  con- 
nexion of  baptism  with  circumcision.  This  latter  rite  exhib- 
ited a  twofold  view, — one  a  temporal,  which  it  confined  to 
the  Jew,  conveying  to  him  his^right  of  inheritance  to  the 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  175 

land  of  Canaan,  and  other  privileges  derived  from  his  father 
Abraham,  and  to  which  the  mark  in  the  flesh  appertained  as 
the  seal :  the  other  a  spiritual,  admitting  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  all  mankind,  in  virtue  of  the  original  covenant  with 
Adam,  through  means  of  his  promised  seed,  which  was  now 
restricted  to  the  line  of  Abraham.  To  this  belonged  the  cir- 
cumcision of  the  heart,  without  which  qualification  it  was 
indiscernible ;  and  to  this  baptism  is  the  successor,  adminis- 
tering in  substance  what  this  conveyed  in  hope.  But  as  that 
spiritual  circumcision,  though  not  represented,  was  conveyed 
by  the  circumcision  of  the  flesh,  and  as  this  latter  is  abolished 
by  the  abolition  of  the  law,  a  new  seal  must  be  established ; 
and  this  seal  is  a  lively  symbol  of  the  blessing  conveyed. 
It  is  immersion  in  water,  which  represents  to  us  our  death  to 
sin  and  new  birth  to  righteousness,  analogous  to  the  death 
and  resurrection  of  Christ ;  and  also  in  the  washing  of  our 
bodies  expresses  the  washing  of  our  souls  by  the  merits  of 
his  blood,  and  their  purification  by  the  sanctifying  graces  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Aptly  with  its  spiritual  sense  it  leaves  no 
mark  upon  the  flesh,  but  having  performed  the  part  of  the 
seal  and  sign  of  God's  covenant,  quits  all  farther  hold  of  the 
body,  and  surrenders  the  person  to  all  his  heavenly  privileges. 
Our  profession,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  Patriarch  and 
Jew,  will  be  this.  We  profess,  with  them,  to  repent,  and  re- 
nounce the  world  and  its  lusts ;  to  die  to  sin,  and  live  again 
unto  righteousness.  But  we  do  this  with  such  a  death  and 
life  being  made  especially  imperative  upon  us,  being  also  ac- 
tually proposed  and  represented  to  us  in  the  death  and  resur- 
rection of  the  author  of  our  forgiveness.  We  also  profess  our 
entire  faith  in  the  truth  of  his  promises.  But  the  greater 
part  of  what  were  promises  to  them  are  gifts  to  us ;  and 
such  gifts  as  still  remain  in  expectance,  and  not  in  pos- 
session, are  rendered  distinct,  appreciable,  and  certain  from 
the  accomplishment  of  the  others ;  they  have  even  been 
exemplified  to  us :  the  life  after  death  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  Lord,  the  bounteous  gifts  of  his  spirit  in  the  graces  and 
powers  of  his  saints,  from  the  day  of  Pentecost  until  now. 
Thus  our  profession  is  distinctly  marked  out  to  us :  there  is 
no  room  for  doubt,  no  excuse  for  vacillation ;  it  is  not  sha- 
dowy, so  as  to  elude  the  grasp,  it  is  not  indefinite  in  any 
point,  so  as  at  times  to  escape  from  it ;  it  is  so  substantial, 
so  comprehensible,  that  if  we  hold  it  not  fast,  the  fault  lies 
with  our  own  weakness  and  wavering.     What  had  Adam, 


176  THE  PROFESSION  OP  A  MEMBER  OP 

what  had  Abraham,  what  had  the  Prophets  for  the  grounds  of 
their  profession,  compared  with  this  1  Verily,  the  least  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  them  all. 

The  most  practical  part  of  our  profession  lies  in  the  re- 
nunciation of  the  world,  whose  ways,  having  been  far  more 
openly  detected,  and  awfully  condemned  by  the  Gospel 
than  by  anj-^  previous  dispensation,  we  are  more  peculiarly 
called  upon  to  reprobate  and  abandon.  What  fellow-feeling 
can  a  true  child  of  God  in  Christ  have  with  it  1  It  is  bent  on 
the  joys  and  pleasures  of  this  life,  therefore  the  Cross  of 
Christ,  with  its  crucifying  afflictions,  is  a  stumbling-block  to 
it.  It  is  wise  in  its  own  conceit,  and  therefore  that  Cross  is 
foolishness  to  it ;  it  worships  rank  and  power,  and  therefore 
that  Cross  is  contemptible  to  it.  It  loves  its  own  will  and 
ways,  and  therefore  that  Cross  is  hateful  to  it.  As  the  con- 
vert in  baptism  takes  a  new  name  to  show  that  he  is  a  new 
creature,  so  must  he  take  up  new  names  for  the  things  of  the 
world,  in  which  he  moves  as  a  new  creature ;  its  joy  will  be 
his  sorrow,  its  good  his  evil, — in  all  things  a  new  vocabulary 
will  be  adopted. 

The  Jew  bore  on  his  body  the  mark  of  his  calling  in  Abra 
ham ;  however,  and  wherever,  he  lived,  his  flesh  bore  testi- 
mony to  his  being  a  member  of  that  covenant  which  gave  his 
nation  the  inheritance  to  the  land  of  Canaan.  But  our  mark 
must  be  on  the  spirit,  as  heirs  of  a  spiritual  kingdom,  never 
to  be  oblitered  there.  That  mark  must  be  a  peculiarity  of 
thought,  originating  a  peculiarity  of  action,  by  which  we  may 
be  distinguished  from  those  without ;  word,  and  thought,  and 
deed,  must  all  have  upon  them  the  stamp  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 
Even  where  we  are  obliged,  from  our  common  nature,  to  feel 
and  do  as  other  men,  yet  here  we  shall  discover  the  mark  of 
our  calling.  This  feeling  and  doing  will  go  but  a  short  way 
with  the  world :  if  developed  into  any  continued  train  of  re- 
flection, or  expanded  into  any  deliberate  act,  the  eye  will  im- 
mediately discover  its  peculiar  form,  and  acknowledge  in  it 
our  profession.  How  should  it  be  otherwise  1  We  see  how 
deeply  the  characters  and  conversation  of  men  are  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  their  worldly  professions.  The  soldier,  the 
scholar,  the  merchant,  carry  each  the  peculiar  stamp  of  their 
occupation  into  their  most  free  and  disengaged  moments. 
Their  thoughts  cannot  without  some  effort  be  broken  up  from 
those  clusters  into  which  the  due  performance  of  their  several 
duties   has   a  tendency  to  combine   them.     And  the   more 


THE  CHURCH  OP  GOD.  177 

Strictly  they  perform  those  duties,  and  the  more  signal  their 
success,  the  deeper  also  is  the  tinge  of  this  mark.  Should  it, 
therefore,  be  otherwise  with  the  Christian,  the  exercise  of 
whose  profession  is  not,  like  theirs,  limited  to  certain  places 
and  certain  seasons ;  who  is  not  now  in  full  occupation,  and 
then  in  utter  leisure,  but  is  ever  engaged,  and  has  before  his 
eyes  for  his  reward,  not  the  honours  or  wealth  of  this  fleeting 
world,  but  the  bliss  of  the  world  everlasting]  Shall  not  his 
mouth  speak  from  the  fulness  of  his  heart  1  And  if  the  sol- 
dier's heart  be  in  the  camp,  the  merchant's  in  his  freighted 
vessels,  so  that  the  language  of  the  one  would  sound  absurd 
from  the  mouth  of  the  other ;  shall  there  be  no  such  distinc- 
tion between  the  man  of  this  world,  and  the  man  of  the  next  I 
Their  heart  cannot  have  the  same  object,  and  can  therefore 
the  language  of  the  one  proceed  from  the  mouth  of  the  other, 
without  an  immediate  and  glaring  contradiction  to  his  profess- 
ion? Shall  a  clean  vessel  pour  forth  what  is  unclean? 
Shall  a  heart  overflowing  with  love,  joy,  and  thankfulness, 
for  the  mercies  of  God  shown  in  our  redemption, — shall  a  mind 
exalted  in  the  Spirit,  far  beyond  the  pitch  to  which  the  na- 
tural man  could  attain,  supported  daily  by  the  daily  soaring 
contemplation  of  the  unravelled  mysteries  of  God, — shall 
these  send  forth  no  language  of  their  own,  shall  they  speak 
but  as  worldlings  speak?  It  cannot  be.  "The  heavens  de- 
clare the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  telleth  his  handi- 
work ;"  and  shall  the  great  work  of  God's  hands,  a  living  spi- 
rit, twice-created,  regenerated  man,  shall  not  his  voice  be  heard 
among  them  ?  Shall  not  the  glory  of  God  be  manifested  from 
him,  the  chief  of  God's  works,  and  cast  in  his  own  image  ? 
This  is  the  Christian's  profession  :  thus  he  must  be  a  shining 
light  amid  darkness,  telling  from  his  firmament  by  an  inex- 
tinguishable brightness  of  character,  and  by  duly  regulated 
motions  of  conduct,  the  glory,  and  the  power,  and  the  domin- 
ion, and  the  majesty  of  the  almighty  author  of  his  salvation. 

It  is  true  that  in  no  case  should  we  think  too  highly  of 
ourselves.  But  in  the  case  of  our  station  and  corresponding 
profession  as  Christians,  we  can  never  think  highly  enough ; 
and  our  constant  endeavour  must  be  to  proceed  from  a  higher 
to  a  higher  pitch,  so  that  the  note  and  song  of  our  profession 
may,  like  the  trumpet  of  God,  wax  louder  and  louder.  Look 
at  the  proud  ones  of  this  world,  at  them  who  do  indeed  think 
of  themselves  more  highly  than  they  ought.  What  a  con- 
stant, jealous  vigilance  is  there  to  maintain  their  dignity; 
q2 


17S  THE  PROFESSION  OF  A  MEMBER  OF 

what  a  cautious  ming-ling  with  the  general  world ;  what  a 
barrier  do  they  try  to  throw  around  their  communications,  in 
order  to  keep  off  all  intrusion  of  vulgar  taint.  Shall  not  then 
the  Christian,  whose  honour  is  real  and  not  conventional ;  in- 
ward and  essential,  not  outward  and  accidental ;  derived  from 
a  heavenly  incorruptible  fountain,  not  from  an  earthly  and 
corruptible ;  from  eternity,  not  from  yesterday ;  immortal, 
and  not  perishing ; — shall  not  he  guard  this  with  equal  vigi- 
lance and  scrupulosity,  and  keep  it  pure  and  unspotted  from 
the  world  ]  Still  more,  if  earthly  rank,  which  lives  on  the 
breath  of  the  world,  and  which  is  averse  but  to  its  conven- 
tional and  not  real  impurities,  can  draw  a  line  of  separation, 
shall  not  the  follower  of  the  Cross  of  Christ,  which  is  at 
enmity  with  the  world,  and  loathes  all  its  impurities,  shall  he 
not  trace  around  him  a  clear  decided  mark  of  distinction  T 

Having  thus  viewed  the  nature  of  our  profession,  in  refer- 
ence to  our  daily  practice,  let  us  proceed  to  apply  the  argu- 
ment of  the  apostle  in  the  passage  from  whence  the  text  has 
been  taken. 

The  persons  to  whom  he  writes  were  suffering  under  severe 
persecution,  under  the  most  trying  of  all,  namely,  that  which 
comes  from  their  own  countrymen,  and  the  professors  of  the 
religion  which  they  had  abandoned  ;  and  so  trying  had  it  al- 
ready been,  that  several  apostacies  seem  to  have  taken  place, 
and  more  to  be  about  taking  place.  He  shows  them,  there- 
fore, the  ground  on  which,  in  this  case,  they  should  stand, 
and  hold  fast  their  profession.  It  is  the  ground  of  Jesus 
Christ  having  suffered  before  them,  and,  after  his  sufferings, 
ascended  into  rest  and  glory.  And  that  not  only  thus  had 
they  an  example  in  their  Master,  and  a  pledge  of  a  similar 
reward  to  similar  sufferings,  but  moreover  that  he  is  sitting 
now  at  the  throne  of  God  as  High  Priest,  in  intercession  for 
us,  in  which  we  can  securely  repose  all  confidence,  inasmuch 
as  we  know,  from  his  sufferings  here,  that  he  can  sympathize 
with  us.  The  apostle  has  here  only  applied  a  particular  ex- 
ample to  meet  a  particular  occasion.  But  his  argument  is 
applicable  to  every  circumstance  of  life ;  for  there  is  not  one 
in  which  the  firmness  of  grasp  with  which  we  hold  fast  our 
profession,  is  not  more  or  less  put  to  the  proof.  Now  since 
life  is  made  up  of  joy  and  sorrow,  the  latter  of  which  has 
been  met  by  the  apostle,  let  us,  with  an  argument  from  the 
same  source,  meet  the  former.  We  have,  indeed,  only  to  re- 
verse the  order  of  the  argument,  and  as  he  argued  from 


THE   CHURCH   OF   GOD.  179 

Christ's  affliction  to  his  joy,  so  must  we  from  his  joy  to  his  af- 
fliction. When,  through  the  abundant  mercy  of  God,  our 
hearts  are  overflowing  with  joy,  amid  the  bounties  of  this  life, 
shall  we  go  no  further ;  shall  we  stay  at  the  limits  of  the 
body,  and  not  proceed  in  spirit,  and  as  w^e  gladly  refer  our 
afflictions  to  his,  so  also  our  joys'?  Shall  we  not  soar  on  the 
wings  of  this,  at  best,  imperfect  joy,  to  that  glorious  presence 
where  it  reigns  in  its  fulness,  and  join  the  heavenly  choir  in 
the  song  of  triumph  to  the  Redeemer;  and  then,  seeing 
through  what  afflictions  his  joy  was  perfected,  prepare  our 
hearts  to  meet  such  interruption,  so  that  when  it  shall  come, 
we  may  trample  it  under  foot  as  conquerors, — having  learned 
to  fix  our  looks,  steadfast  and  unaverted,  on  the  everlasting  joys 
of  heaven, — having,  through  a  right  use  of  our  allotted  season 
of  joy,  attained  the  inseparable  fellowship  of  that  joy,  which 
no  man  can  take  away  from  us,  from  which  none  of  the  wea- 
pons of  this  world,  be  they  famine,  persecution,  or  the  sword, 
shall  ever  have  power  to  divide  us  ]  Thus,  through  all  the 
changes  of  this  mortal  life,  we  shall  hold  fast  our  profession, 
shall  stand  rooted  in  the  faith  of  Christ  Jesus,  who  suffered, 
and  now  reigneth  in  glory. 

The  apostle's  expression,  " /e^  m5  hold  fast  our  profession ;" 
and  a  little  above,  "  let  us  labour  to  enter  into  that  rest," — 
implies  that  this  firmness  of  hold  on  our  profession,  has  a  con- 
tinual resistance  opposed  to  it.  Hence  it  will  be  different  at 
different  times  in  the  same  man,  growing  as  he  does  from 
strength  to  strength ;  and  it  will  be  different  in  different  per- 
sons, according  to  the  progress  they  have  made  in  that  faith 
which  overcometh  the  world.  The  whole  body  of  Christians, 
therefore,  will  present  a  motley  appearance,  and  may,  from  the 
unbeliever, — to  whose  eye  the  weak,  as  most  numerous,  and 
more  in  contact  with  himself,  will  be  much  more  obvious  than 
the  strong, — draw  forth  the  charge  of  hypocrisy  or  super- 
stition. But  to  the  mind  of  the  lowly  and  charitable  Chris- 
tian, a  very  different  result  will  arise,  and  a  lesson  will  be 
taught  him  full  of  warning  and  instruction.  In  the  Church  of 
God  there  must  be  a  series  of  believers  of  different  attain- 
ments, stretching  from  him  who  has  but»a  moment  ago  quit- 
ted the  gross  elements  of  the  world,  to  him  who  has  far 
advanced  into  the  regions  of  the  spirit, — from  the  newly  born 
infant,  to  the  full  grown  man.  There  will,  however,  be  a 
«lear  mark  of  distinction  between  the  lowest  of  these  beings 
and  the  world.     They  will  all  have  this  common  character, 


180  THE  PROFESSION  OF  A  MEMBER  OF 

namely,  that  they  are  striving  to  attain  that;  however  weak 
their  liesh  may  be,  yet  their  spirit  is  willing.  All  are  en- 
gaged in  a  race :  some,  therefore,  are  foremost,  some  hind- 
most ;  but  these  last  are  very  distinct  from  the  mere  lookers 
on,  which  are  the  sons  of  this  world.  And  the  most  back- 
ward Christian  will  be  distinguished  above  the  mere  man  of 
morals,  inasmuch  as  the  latter  will  be  stationary,  while  the 
former  is  pressing  on.  The  latter  may,  indeed,  at  a  given 
moment,  be  standing  nearer  the  goal  of  moral  perfection, 
while  the  former  may  be  at  some  distance ;  but  then  the  one 
never  leaves  his  place,  the  other  is  continually  advancing, 
and  in  due  time  passes  beyond.  Even  at  his  farthest  distance 
from  the  goal,  he  will  show  that  he  is  a  racer,  and  not  a  spec- 
tator, by  the  proofs  which  he  gives  of  his  will  to  proceed ; 
which  are,  his  readiness  to  acknowledge  and  repair  his  of- 
fences, his  self-rebuke  for  his  failings,  his  lowliness  to  ask 
his  neighbour's  forgiveness,  and  charity  to  impart  his  own ; 
and  a  careful  record  kept  in  his  memory  of  the  places  in  which 
he  has  hitherto  stumbled,  with  a  resolution  to  avoid  the  like 
mishap  again.  Spirit-stirring,  indeed,  is  such  a  view  of  the 
companions  of  his  profession,  to  the  Christian.  He  will  in 
charity  place  every  neighbour  more  forward  than  he  really  is 
in  the  race ;  in  humility  he  will  place  himself  more  back- 
ward, and  setting  himself  down,  in  his  own  opinion,  among 
the  last,  will  the  most  earnestly  pursue  his  resolution  to  be 
among  the  first. 

We  may  consider  the  resistance  opposed  by  the  world  to 
our  profession,  and  our  gradual  triumph  over  it,  in  another 
light.  We  are  thus  engaged  in  a  spiritual  fight  with  it,  and 
must  have  many  wounds  before  we  be  conquerors.  W^ere  it 
not  so,  the  enemy  would  yield  at  the  first  blow  ;  ever  as  we 
advanced,  all  would  flee  in  rout  and  dismay,  all  the  strong- 
holds of  sin  would  surrender  at  the  very  first  summons 
which  we  blew  with  the  trump  of  the  Gospel.  Our  course 
upon  earth  would  be  a  glorious  uninterrupted  triumph,  and 
the  gates  of  heaven  would  unfold,  and  receive  us  unwounded, 
unfatigued.  But  be  who  he  will,  the  Christian  has  to  fight 
an  obstinate,  a  continual  fight ;  and  like  those  kings,  who, 
fighting  for  earthly  kingdoms,  have,  by  severe  defeats,  well 
nigh  lost  their  own,  and  won,  at  last,  after  a  long  series  of 
doubtful  success ;  so,  also,  fares  this  spiritual  king, — so 
fights  he  for  a  heavenly  kingdom,  nor  can  he  cry  out  victory, 
but  with  his  dying  breath.     Then,  indeed,  and  not  till  then, 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  181 

he  may,  in  a  sense  as  opposite  as  his  thoughts  are  to  those  of 
the  apostate  king,  exclaim,  "  Thou  hast  conquered,  O  Gali- 
lean !"  And  thanks  be  to  him  who  giveth  us  the  victory, 
even  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour. 

Though  the  water  of  baptism  hath  left  no  outward  mark 
upon  us,  to  put  us  in  continual  remembrance  of  our  profess- 
ion, yet  several  of  its  accompaniments  remain,  and  should 
produce  this  effect  upon  us.  Our  very  name  is  one  of  them, 
and  as  that  of  Eve,  which  she  received  after  the  promise  of 
the  seed ;  of  Abraham,  after  the  promise  of  the  Christ ;  of 
Paul,  after  his  conversion  to  Christ ;  forcibly  reminded  them 
of  their  change  of  circumstances ;  so  should  ours  carry  us 
back  to  the  moment,  when,  being  admitted  into  covenant  with 
Christ,  our  condition  was  changed,  and  there  was  created  for 
us  a  new  earth,  and  a  new  heaven :  behold  !  all  things  were 
new.  But  still  more  should  the  titles,  of  which  we  thence- 
forward became  possessors,  declare  unto  us  in  most  awful 
terms  our  profession.  "  Christian,"  should  proclaim  to  us 
that  we  are  followers  of  Christ,  and  have  placed  our  will 
under  obedience  to  his  will.  "  Children  of  God,"  should 
suggest  that  we  were  once  mere  non-enties,  but  have  been 
born  into  a  world  of  real  spiritual  existence,  and  must  be 
daily  growing  towards  the  mature  and  perfect  man.  "  In- 
heritor of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  should  continually  preach 
unto  us  the  high  prize  for  which  we  are  contending ;  assure 
the  certainty  of  our  reward,  if  we  continue  faithful  to  the  end. 
"  Saints  in  light,"  should  remind  us  of  the  holiness  of  the 
profession  to  which  we  have  been  called,  of  the  gift  of  the 
sanctifying  graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  of  the  light  of  the 
Gospel  into  which  we  have  been  brought,  from  the  darkness 
of  the  ignorance  of  the  natural  man.  If  the  titles  indicative 
of  rank,  merit,  or  wealth,  accorded  by  the  society  of  the 
world,  perpetually  stimulate  their  possessors  to  maintain  the 
substance  which  they  represent, — without  which  they  are  a 
shadow,  or  even  convey  a  reproach  upon  their  bearer,  how 
much  more  shall  the  sound  of  his  titles  operate  upon  the 
member  of  the  fellowship  of  the  saints,  of  the  society  of  the 
Church  of  God. 

Great,  indeed,  is  our  happiness,  glorious  our  condition.  We 
have  not  received  the  seal  of  circumcision,  to  assure  us  of  a  Re- 
deemer to  come  in  the  latter  days, — we  have  not  received  the 
giftless  baptism  of  John,  to  prepare  us  for  Christ  on  the  point  of 
coming;  but  we  have  received  the  baptism  in  Jesus  Christ  our 


182        THE  PROFESSION  OF  A  MEMBER  OF,  &C. 

Redeemer,  who  has  come,  and  has  shed  upon  us  an  abundance  of 
spiritual  gifts.  All  which  God  gave  to  mankind  separately  and 
at  long  intervals  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  hath  been 
poured  in  one  concentrated  shower  upon  us ;  yea,  and  not 
only  that,  but  what  they  of  old  received  were  not  only  but  a 
part  of  what  we  have,  but  the  rude  and  beggarly  elements  of 
the  corresponding  part  which  has  come  to  us.  Yea,  and  not 
only  that,  but  all  which  they  received,  even  in  the  perfect 
and  ripe  state  in  which  they  have  been  bestowed  upon  us, 
form  but  a  part  of  our  bounteous  whole.  Sacrifice,  in  all  its 
relations  and  bearings,  has  been  perfected;  all  its  mystic 
meanings  laid  open ;  prophecy  has  been  accomplished,  and 
our  food  is  certainty  instead  of  hope.  The  Holy  Spirit  hath 
poured  forth  in  profusion  all  his  gifts.  Not  a  doubt  remains 
to  perplex  us,  not  a  desire  is  left  to  be  fulfilled.  The  groans 
of  the  creature  have  ceased.  The  very  terms  of  our  baptism, 
which  was  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  declare  the  entire  plenitude  of  the  heavenly 
possessions  which  have  been  committed  to  us,  and  the  efful- 
gence and  completeness  of  the  revelation  which  we  are  enjoy- 
ing. Bearing  these  things  in  mind,  let  us  engage  with  all 
fortitude  in  this  warfare  below,  and  manfully  fighting  under 
Christ's  banner,  against  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil, 
continue  his  faithful  soldiers  and  servants  to  our  life's  end  ; 
so  that  having  realized  our  baptism  into  the  death  of  Christ, 
we  may  become  joyful  partakers  of  the  bliss  of  his  resurrec- 
tion. 


183 


DISSERTATION  XIV. 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 

For  I  desired  to  know  nothing  among  you^  save  Jesus  Christ, 
and  him  crucified. — 1  Cor.  ii.  2. 

These  forcible  expressions  are  supposed  to  have  been  directed 
by  St.  Paul  against  the  teachers  of  two  systems, — most  fruit- 
ful sources  each  of  early  heresy, — the  questions  of  Greek 
philosophy,  and  of  Jewish  tradition ;  which  were  then  vex- 
ing a  church,  conspicuous  among  the  primitive  seats  of  the 
Gospel  for  its  lamentable  divisions.  Not  unacquainted  with 
either  system,  as  we  know  St.  Paul  to  have  been,  yet  he  de- 
precates most  earnestly  their  being  brought  to  bear  in  any 
degree  upon  the  Gospel,  to  mix  their  turbid  streams  in  the 
smallest  portion  with  its  purity;  and  reminds  the  Corinthians 
how  he  himself  had  preached  it  among  them,  with  all  sim- 
plicity and  strict  adherence  with  its  principles,  to  an  utter 
abandonment  of  all  foreign  knowledge,  as  if  the  existence  of 
those  systems  had  been  wholly  unknown  to  him. 

It  had  been  well  if  this  wholesome  example  had  been  more 
generally  followed.  But  down  even  to  our  own  day,  man 
has  been  ever  thinking  that  he  can  mend  God's  work,  inter- 
polating his  own  conceits  among  the  fundamental  principles 
of  the  Gospel ;  and  reason,  deeming  its  province  intruded 
upon  by  revelation,  has  been  struggling  to  remove  the  boun- 
daries which  have  been  set  to  her  previously  too  loosely  de- 
fined dominion.  This  has  been  peculiarly  the  case  in  those 
questions  which  concern  the  duties  of  life.  It  was  indeed  to 
be  expected.  Their  throng,  their  hourly  occurrence,  their 
ingrossing  interest,  their  worldly  complexion, — are  all  calcu- 
lated to  induce  men  to  refer  them  to  principles  much  more 
accommodated  to  their  own  carnal  notions,  to  sources  much 


184  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY  IN 

nearer  at  hand  than  the  spirituality  of  the  Gospel  will  allow. 
And  thus  not  only  in  practice,  but  in  theory  too,  a  mixture 
has  been  made  of  the  light  of  nature  and  of  the  illumination  of 
the  Gospel,  which,  while  it  obscures  both,  is  more  particu- 
larly injurious  to  the  latter,  in  proportion  to  its  superior 
strength  and  brightness. 

It  readily  follows,  from  what  has  been  stated  in  the  review 
of  the  fundamental  articles  of  the  church  of  God,  that  the 
moral  conduct  of  a  true  member  of  this  church,  could  never  at 
any  period  be  guided  by  principles  which  drew  so  much  from 
the  light  of  nature,  as  the  reasoners  above  alluded  to  are  ready 
to  suppose.  But  as  the  Christian  dispensation  is  that  which 
they  have  in  view  in  all  their  references  to  religious  motives,  we 
will  confine  the  question  to  this  point,  and  consider  the  rule 
of  life  laid  down  to  the  member  of  the  church  of  Christ.  In 
other  words,  we  will  proceed  to  ascertain  how  the  doctrine 
of  Christ  crucified,  bears  upon  those  duties  which  moral  phi- 
losophers would  fain  have  us  derive  from  principles  which 
themselves  have  laid  down. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  devote  a  few  previous  observations 
upon  their  different  systems,  so  general,  however,  that  they 
will  be  considered  as  forming  only  two  classes ;  in  one  of 
which  the  light  of  nature  alone  is  consulted,  in  the  other 
the  aid  of  that  of  revelation  is  called  in. 

The  first  contains  the  several  systems  of  ancient  philoso- 
phy. Their  deficiency  in  not  supplying  a  motive  of  obliga- 
tion sufficiently  obvious,  strong  and  permanent,  has  been  the 
subject  of  frequent  remark.  Nevertheless,  they  are  of  inesti- 
mable value  to  the  Christian  scholar,  not  only  from  disclosing 
to  him  the  peculiar  points  upon  which  a  revelation  was  re- 
quired to  bear, — not  only  from  the  interest  which  they  excite 
by  the  heart-moving  comparison  of  their  original  light  of  na- 
ture with  our  acquired  illumination  from  the  Gospel ;  but 
principally  because  they  have  almost  exhausted  the  store- 
house of  human  thought  upon  their  subjects.  Hither,  there- 
fore, the  infidel  will  appeal,  and  here  the  Christian  must  be 
prepared  to  meet  him,  and  make  him  feel  the  untenableness 
of  his  ground. 

The  second  class  is  obviously  destitute  of  all  these  advan- 
tages. It  remains  to  see  whether  their  loss  has  been  coun- 
terbalanced by  the  acquisition  of  any  others. 

Perceiving  the  defect  above  mentioned,  of  the  ancient  sys- 
tems, the  authors  of  these  have  thought  to  supply  it  by  calling 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  185 

in  from  revelation  the  doctrine  of  a  state  of  future  retribution. 
To  this  plan,  however,  there  are  insurmountable  objections, 
not  only  from  reason,  but  also  from  the  revelation  itself, 
whence  they  have  borrowed. 

There  is  an  objection  in  reason,  first,  because  in  a  system 
of  philosophy  all  ought  to  be  traceable  to  one  source;  and 
this  character  forms  the  great  beauty  of  all  the  ancient  sys- 
tems. On  such  a  principle,  therefore,  a  future  state  to  which 
the  system  attaches  the  final  motive  of  obligation,  ought  to 
be  demonstrable,  equally  with  the  rule  of  life,  from  the  light 
of  nature ;  but  every  one  knows  that  it  is  not.  Thus  the 
system  is  deranged,  and  its  logical  unity  dissolved  by  the  in- 
troduction of  an  entirely  foreign  and  independent  principle. 

A  second  objection  on  the  ground  of  reason  is,  that  our 
assent  to  the  doctrine  of  a  future  retribution  implies  an  ade- 
quate notion  of  the  divine  justice.  But  this  (as  in  the  case 
of  other  of  God's  attributes)  must  be  detived  from  our  notions 
of  human  justice.  Thus  we  are  conducted  by  such  a  system 
in  a  vicious  circle.  We  must  have  formed  an  adequate  no- 
tion of  human  justice,  before  we  can  assent  to  the  position  of 
a  future  retribution ;  and  we  must  assent  to  the  position  of  a 
future  retribution,  before  we  can  possess  ourselves  with  an 
adequate  notion  of  human  justice.  But  the  objections  from 
the  very  revelation  itself,  to  which  they  profess  themselves 
indebted,  are  of  a  still  more  serious  cast. 

In  borrowing  this  doctrine  from  revelation,  they  have 
entirely  neglected  to  take  with  them  the  foundation  upon 
which  it  rests, — the  Cross  of  Christ.  It  has  accordingly 
shared  the  fate  of  all  facts  which  are  introduced,  detached 
from  the  natural  relation  of  surrounding  circumstances.  It 
droops  and  dies,  as  a  tree  which  has  been  transplanted  with- 
out its  roots ;  and  as  far  as  the  planters  are  concerned,  the 
roots  have  been  left  to  perish  too :  for  what  is  now  their 
position  as  they  lay  down  their  transplanted  doctrine  of  a 
state  of  future  happiness  1 — however  stated,  it  amounts  to 
this, — that  a  man  may  be  saved  by  the  law  which  they 
have  there  established.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  this  ma- 
terially differs  from  an  opinion  so  severely  reprobated  by  our 
church,  (and  in  that  reprobation  every  Christian  church  and 
person  will  join,)  namely,  that  "  every  man  shall  be  saved 
by  the  law  or  sect  which  he  professeth,  so  that  he  be  diligent 
to  frame  his  life  according  to  that  law,  and  the  light  of  na- 
ture." This  is  indeed  removing  the  offence  of  the  Cross,  by 
removing  the  Cross  itself;  for  (as  our  article  proceeds  to 
R 


186  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY  IN 

say.  Art.  18,)  Holy  Scripture  doth  set  unto  us  only  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  whereby  man  must  be  saved. 

Let  it,  however,  be  allowed  (for  argument's  sake)  that 
this  consequence  from  their  system  has  been  too  closely 
pressed.  Let  it  even  be  granted  that  advantage  has  been 
taken  of  unintentional  ornission,  of  neglect  of  fortifying 
points,  of  latitude  of  language.  Still  the  effect  cannot  be 
disputed,  which  is  to  instil  into  minds  not  culpably  unwary, 
the  above  pernicious  opinion,  and  to  lead  them  to  think  the 
grand  and  essential  facts  of  Christianity, — our  Lord's  incar- 
nation, death,  and  burial, — an  useless  show,  a  cumbrous 
machinery,  the  employment  of  which  seems  derogatory  to 
the  wisdom  of  Almighty  God.  Is  it  considerate,  is  it  chari- 
table, is  it  dutiful  to  our  crucified  Master,  to  employ,  or  allow 
to  be  employed,  a  carelessness  of  expression  pregnant  with 
such  dreadful  consequences  1 

Putting,  however,  the  best  colour  upon  all  this,  still  we 
find  another  objection  behind,  which  cannot  be  set  aside  by 
any  plea  of  mere  looseness  of  language. 

For  let  us  supply  what  they  may  assert  to  be  an  uninten- 
tional omission;  then,  since  of  course  a  system  of  morality  is 
applicable  to  all  mankind,  their  position  stands  thus  :  that  all 
men,  by  observing  the  duties  which  the  system  has  laid  down, 
will  enjoy  the  future  happiness  which  has  been  procured  by 
the  Cross  of  Christ.  But  where  is  such  a  position  to  be  found 
in  Scripture  1  Where  has  it  promised  a  state  of  happiness  to 
all  mankind,  upon  living  up  to  their  duties  1  Its  promises 
are  confined  exclusively  within  the  pale  of  the  Christian 
covenant,  and  the  salvability  of  any  without  can  be  but  the 
suggestion  of  a  charitable  hope  ;  or  (granting  the  very  utmost) 
a  fit  subject  of  argument  for  such  as  are  prepared  to  engage  in 
an  interminable  controversy. 

Thus,  even  upon  putting  the  most  favourable  construction 
upon  the  systems  of  this  class,  we  are  obliged  to  conclude 
that  their  foundation  rests  upon  a  position,  of  which  they 
affirm  the  certainty  from  revelation,  but  which  in  fact  is  not 
to  be  found  in  any  part  of  its  records. 

It  may,  however,  still  be  asserted  that  such  systems,  though 
not  applicable  to  all  mankind,  may  serve  to  point  out  a  rule 
of  moral  conduct  to  the  Christian,  supplying  directions 
where  the  Scriptures  are  not  practically  explicit,  presuppose 
natural  principles,  or  perhaps  are  silent  altogether.  The 
state  of  the   question,  thus  narrowed,  brings  us  back  to  the 


THE    CHURCH    OF    GOD.  187 

point  which  was  proposed  to  be  examined,  and  will  render 
much  assistance  to  the  course  of  argmnent,  by  setting  off  in 
more  prominent  relief  the  peculiarities  with  which  the  doctrine 
of  Christ  crucified  invests  all  those  duties  which  are  the 
subjects  of  moral  philosophy. 

Let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  that,  according  to  the  latter  systems 
just  discussed,  the  motive  which  obliges  the  Christian,  is  the 
simple  one  of  a  certain  expectation  of  future  reward  or  pun- 
ishment. According  to  the  Gospel,  it  will  appear  to  be  one 
much  more  complex,  or  at  least  (even  granting  this  to  be  the 
final),  that  it  can  never  be  acted  upon  by  him  except  in  asso- 
ciation with  a  number  of  others  of  a  certain  class.  Their 
rule  of  life  also  is  sought  among  the  principles  of  nature.  In 
the  Gospel  it  presupposes  these,  but  is  not  confined  to  them ; 
so  that  the  Christian,  calculating  from  those  principles  only, 
would  as  certainly  fall  into  error,  as  he  who  omits  important 
elements  in  any  deduction  of  science.  They  suppose  only 
two  persons — man  and  God.  The  Gospel  interposes  a  third, 
the  Son  of  God  ;  and  this  of  course  immediately  gives  a  new 
complexion  to  the  whole  question. 

God  the  Father  has  made  the  promise  of  everlasting  hap- 
piness to  man,  upon  obedience  to  his  will,  operating  through 
faith  in  the  merits  of  his  only  begotten  Son,  Jesus  Christ; 
who,  by  taking  our  nature  upon  liim,  suffered  death  upon  the 
Cross,  in  order  to  procure  for  man  that  inestimable  blessing. 
But  the  Father,  notwithstanding  this  reconciliation,  has  no 
immediate  communication  with  man  :  he  will  turn  away  his 
ear  from  every  note  of  praise  or  prayer,  he  will  avert  his  face 
from  every  posture  of  supplication,  which  is  not  addressed  to 
him  through  the  mediation  of  the  Son  ;  through  him  he  bids 
him  look  for  every  blessing  now  and  to  come,  to  this  special 
relation  which  he  has  established  with  mankind  to  confess 
himself  indebted  for  all :  on  this  to  hang  all  his  hopes  ;  and 
having  his  heart  impressed  with  the  Cross  of  Christ,  his 
thoughts  fixed  in  earnest  contemplation  of  what  his  Saviour 
has  said,  done,  and  undergone,  and  thus  imbued,  as  it  were, 
with  the  baptism  of  his  precious  blood,  to  proceed  to  action. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  will  of  God  is  not  to  be 
sought  by  the  Christian,  merely  among  the  natural  relations 
of  man  to  man.  Those  relations  indeed  still  subsist ;  but 
they  are  all  drawn  by  Christ  towards  himself,  and  acted  upon 
by  his  influence.  Besides  their  mutual  motions,  they  have 
also  another  and  general  course  assigned  them.     If  they  fol- 


188  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY  IN 

low  not  this  course,  they  are  not  within  the  system  of  Chris- 
tianity. Every  act  of  the  Christian  must  have  some  reference 
to  an  act  of  Christ's,  displayed  by  him  in  his  sojourn  upon 
earth,  and  destined  to  exert  its  influence  upon  him,  as  mysti- 
cally affecting  his  spiritual  station, — as  directly  operating  by 
example, — as  urgently  prompting  by  command.  Thus,  is 
God's  will  that  we  should  be  gratefully  disposed,  to  be  sought 
in  the  mere  shallow  elements  to  which  the  moral  philosopher 
would  direct  us  1  Or  shall  we  not  rather  carry  into  our 
practice  that  deep  and  settled  feeling  to  which  human  lan- 
guage cannot  give  a  name,  that  which  we  imbibe  through 
every  pore  of  mind,  from  the  contemplation  of  the  character 
and  office  of  the  Son  of  God. 

It  is  evident,  also,  from  the  above  considerations,  that,  as 
to  motive,  the  Christian  cannot,  dare  not,  look  at  everlasting 
happiness,  without  combining  in  the  same  view  the  Cross  of 
Christ.  As  consistently  may  he  expunge  from  his  creed 
every  article  intervening  between  God  the  Father  Almighty, 
and  the  life  everlasting.  No  !  that  life  he  looks  forward  to, 
through  a  long  and  permanent  chain  of  objects,  every  link  of 
which  has  been  designed  to  move  both  his  heart  and  under- 
standing; through  his  holy  incarnation  through  his  holy 
nativity  and  circumcision,  through  his  baptism,  fasting,  and 
temptation,  through  his  agony  and  bloody  sweat,  through  his 
cross  and  passion,  through  his  precious  death  and  burial, 
through  his  glorious  resurrection  and  ascension,  and  through 
the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  his  perspective, 
down  this  long  alley  of  glorious  and  heart-stirring  facts,  he 
contemplates  the  life  to  come;  and  through  this  only,  as  a 
Christian  that  hopes  for  salvation,  dares  he  look  forward  to 
everlasting  happiness. 

On  a  basis  so  widely  different  from  that  proposed  by  the 
moral  philosopher,  rest  the  duties  of  the  Christian,  even 
where  the  former  has  borrowed  the  grand  doctrine  of  eternal 
life! 

It  may  seem  necessary  to  illustrate  this  bearing  of  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ  crucified,  upon  our  practice,  by  a  comparison 
of  passages  from  the  philosopher  and  from  Scripture,  enforc- 
ing the  same  precept.  We  are,  however,  enabled  to  enter 
upon  a  parallel  still  more  convincing  and  striking. 

It  is  obvious  that  in  the  New  Testament  the  rule  of  life, 
although  throughout  essentially  the  same,  yet  must  differ  ex- 
ceedingly in  clearness  of  object,  distinctness  of  motive,  and 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  189 

extont  of  application :  so  that  it  will  contain  two  modes  of 
practice.  One  of  these  will  be  that  which  guided  the  true 
Israelite,  and  therefore  also  our  Lord's  followers,  before  the 
Gospel  dispensation  was  completed  by  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  which  put  the  crown  to  the  Redeemer's  glorious 
work  in  behalf  of  man.  Another  will  be  that  by  which  his 
followers  were  influenced  afterwards,  as  members  of  this  new 
covenant  now  perfected.  Accordingly  the  former  will  be 
found  to  prevail  in  the  Gospels,  the  latter  in  the  Epistles. 
The  former,  of  course  (from  the  generality  which  its  compa- 
rative indistinctness  induces),  will  be  purely  ethical ;  while 
the  latter  (from  the  individuality  impressed  by  its  clearness) 
will  appeal  to  feelings  and  to  facts.  This  distinction,  obvious 
as  it  is,  has  not  been  sufficiently  attended  to,  and  its  neglect 
has  led  to  much  laxity  of  opinion.  For  many  persons,  and 
more  especially  the  moral  philosophers,  to  whose  views  upon 
their  subject  it  was  very  suitable,  have,  naturally  enough, 
though  very  inconsiderately,  fixed  upon  that  great  concen- 
trated body  of  moral  instruction,  contained  in  our  Lord's 
sermon  on  the  mount ;  and  conceiving  that  passage,  as  coming 
from  his  own  lips,  to  contain  (if  any  can)  the  Christian  doc- 
trine, have  been  led  to  regard  the  Gospel  too  much  in  the 
light  of  a  system  of  ethics.  So  striking  is  the  difference, 
that  some  infidels  (not  caring  to  ascertain  the  real  state  of 
the  case)  have  not  scrupled  to  assert  that  Christianity,  as  it 
came  from  its  Author's  mouth,  was  a  mere  moral  system,  and 
that  this  was  corrupted  immediately  after  his  death  by  his 
apostles,  more  particularly  by  St.  Paul.  The  comparison  of 
a  very  few  passages  will  be  sufficient  for  our  purpose. 

In  his  sermon  on  the  mount,  our  Saviour  sa5'^s,  "Forgive, 
and  ye  shall  be  forgiven,"  (Luke  vi.  37).  Here  is  a  moral 
precept,  appealing  indeed  to  the  revealed  doctrine  of  God's 
forgiveness,  and  deriving  its  obligation  from  the  promise  of 
this,  and  from  the  authority  of  its  deliverer,  as  being  sent 
from  God.  But  let  us  seek  for  this  same  precept  in  the 
Epistles.  There  St.  Paul  bids  the  Colossians  to  "put  on 
bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness  of  mind,  meekness, 
long-suffering ;  forbearing  one  another,  forgiving  one  another, 
if  any  one  have  a  quarrel  against  any:  even  as  Christ  forgave 
you,  so  also  do  ye."  (Coloss.  iii.  13).  Here  all  is  grounded 
upon  Christ  crucified.  His  cross  is  the  rule,  the  motive,  and 
the  obligation.  Again,  in  the  same  sermon,  our  Lord  thus 
lays  down  the  duty  of  charity :  "  Give  to  him  that  askcth  of 
r2 


190  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY  IN 

thee,  and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee,  turn  not  thou 
away."  (Matt.  v.  42).  Here  is  a  moral  precept,  enforced 
as  before.  Let  us  also  again  turn  to  the  Epistles.  In  urging 
the  Corinthians  to  contribute  to  the  necessities  of  the  saints, 
St.  Paul  thus  lays  down  the  grounds  of  their  duty:  "for  ye 
know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he  was 
rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye  through  his 
poverty  might  be  rich."  (2  Cor.  viii.  9).  Again  we  are  re- 
ferred to  Christ  crucified.  Let  one  more  example  suffice. 
Our  Lord,  enforcing  the  duty  of  humility  upon  his  disciples, 
says,  "  Whosoever  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased,  and  he 
that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted."  (Luke  xiv.  11). 
But  how  does  his  apostle,  he  who  gloried  in  nought  save  in 
the  Cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  the  world  was 
crucified  unto  him,  and  he  unto  the  world, — how  does  this 
his  faithful  soldier  and  servant  exhort  to  the  same  duty] 
He  thus  charges  the  Philippians  :  "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you, 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus,  who,  being  in  the  form  of  God, 
thouo-ht  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God ;  but  made  him- 
self of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant, and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  man.  And  being 
found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  became 
obedient  even  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  Cross. 
Wherefore  God  hath  also  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him 
a  name  which  is  above  every  name ;  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus 
every  knee  should  bow — of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in 
earth,  and  things  under  the  earth,  and  that  every  tongue 
should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God 
the  Father."  (Philipp.  ii.  7,  &c.).  Never  before  was  such 
an  appeal  made  to  the  heart  of  man.  It  stirs  it  with  the 
thrilling  strain  of  the  trumpet.  The  humble  man  is  raised 
from  the  dust,  and  set  amidst  angels.  To  what  beggarly 
elements,  to  what  wretched  offscourings  do  we  return,  upon 
resuming  the  principles  of  the  moralists.  We  seem  hurled 
down  from  heaven  to  earth. 

Thus  we  find  in  Scripture  a  moral  system,  based  upon  rev- 
elation, and  not  concocted  by  human  reason;  confirmed  by 
our  Lord  himself,  addressed  to  believers  in  repentance,  in  a 
redemption,  in  a  life  to  come, — we  find  this  in  the  very  same 
volume  (owing  to  the  peculiarity  of  the  circumstances), 
practically  superseded  by  one,  which  rests  upon  the  fact  and 
doctrine  of  Christ  crucified.  What  then  shall  we  think,  not 
only  of  the  pretension,  not  only  of  the  inutility,  but  of  the 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  191 

mischievous  and  anti-christian  tendency  of  those  systems 
which  we  have  been  discussing  1  To  the  logician  they  are 
contemptible:  to  the  Christian  they  are  abominable.* 

We  have  now  traced  the  peculiar  bearing  of  this  grand  fun- 
damental doctrine  upon  our  moral  duties,  both  as  presenting 
a  rule  of  life,  and  as  supplying  a  motive  of  obligation.  In 
effecting  these  objects,  however,  it  accomplishes  a  third,  in 
which  it  is  quite  singular.  It  at  the  same  time  furnishes  an 
example, — an  example,  too,  of  a  most  peculiar  influence.  In 
the  case  of  every  thing  which  admits  of  degrees,  our  imagina- 
tion can  always  go  on  to  portray  something  of  higher  excel- 
lence still,  until  at  length  we  obtain  and  fix  in  the  mind's 
eye,  an  ideal  model  of  perfection.  It  is  the  constant  contem- 
plation of  this  model  which  leads  us  from  one  stage  of 
improvement  to  another,  and  ever  with  our  advance  advances 
also ;  always  at  our  head,  beyond  our  grasp,  and  unattainable. 
In  this  lies  the  source  of  all  excellence :  the  poet  and  the 
painter,  for  instance,  work  after  a  model  thus  conceived  in 
their  own  bosoms,  but  never  to  be  realized  by  their  lips  or 
their  hand ;  and  therefore  often  regard  their  own  production 
with  a  sigh,  while  it  excites  the  admiration  of  surrounding 
crowds.  In  the  same  way  we  can  form  in  our  minds  a  model 
of  moral  excellence,  unattainable  by  imperfect  human  nature ; 
and  some  writers  have  drawn  fictitious  characters  to  embody 
their  notions,  and  supply  to  coarser  and  less  tutored  minds, 
that  spur  to  virtuous  emulation,  which  they  themselves  find 
within  their  own  bosoms.  But,  after  all,  the  real  effect  pro- 
duced is  slight.  Men  turn  away  from  the  impalpable,  un- 
practical model,  listless,  wearied,  and  incredulous.  Now  the 
system  which  rests  upon  Christ  crucified,  is  not  only  a  sys- 
tem of  precept  and  doctrine,  but  also  an  aggregate  of  facts ; 
and  we  are  presented  in  our  Lord,  as  man,  with  a  real  sub- 
stantial being,  the  model  of  all  excellence ;  one  which  sur- 
passes every  thing  which  our  bosoms  could  have  framed  in 
their  highest  aspirations.  Great  indeed  is  the  advantage  of 
an  example.  We  are  in  morals,  after  all,  but  little  children  : 
we  are  too  careless  to  enter  into  long  detail, — too  ignorant  to 
sum  it  up,  and  gather  all  its  bearings.     We  require,  there- 

*  I  heartily  wish  that  oxu'  University,  which,  according  to  her 
solemn  prayer,  sets  so  much  value  on  sound  learning  and  religious 
education,  would  consider  how  much  she  promotes  either  one  or  the 
other,  by  employing  Paley's  Moral  Philosophy  as  a  book  of  education. 


192  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY  IN 

fore,  a  sensible  picture,  which  shall  present  at  one  glance 
what  must  otherwise  be  conveyed  in  long-  and  minute  de- 
scription. Thus  we  can  inform  ourselves  at  once  upon  the 
very  brink  of  action  into  which  we  are  so  continually  hurried, 
with  but  a  few  moments  to  spend  upon  preparatory  reflection. 
Still  even  this  is  but  a  limited  and  most  inadequate  view  of 
the  benefits  of  Christ's  example; — it  were  thus  like  the 
glorious  firmament  on  high,  to  which,  however  we  may  gaze 
upon  it,  we  can  never  make  any  sensible  approach.  But  the 
facts  which  gave  us  this  example,  gave  us  also  our  redemp- 
tion ;  they  procured  for  us  grace  to  do,  as  well  as  showed 
what  we  ought  to  do ;  they  advanced  us  to  a  point  whither 
of  ourselves  we  could  never  have  arrived,  and  which  beino- 
unattained,  the  excellence  of  that  example  cannot  be  under- 
stood :  vain  had  been  the  example  of  his  patience,  gentleness, 
meekness,  charity,  if  the  sufferings  w^hich  called  it  forth  had 
but  operated  thus  passively,  and  not  actively  by  God's  will 
affected  our  souls.  Taken  in  this  twofold  view^,  how  inesti- 
mably precious  is  his  example ;  how  does  it  try  and  search 
our  hearts ;  how  does  it  stir  our  affections,  while  at  the  same 
time  it  enlightens  our  understanding,  and  chastens  and  exalts 
our  imagination.  But  see  still  farther  the  wonderful  goodness 
of  God.  He  has  not  left  us  to  the  promise  of  grace  to  enable 
us  to  follow  up  this  example,  but  hath  poured  it  out  so  as  to 
exemplify  in  men  like  ourselves  its  efhcacy :  besides  the  great 
example  of  our  Lord  moving  like  a  sun  through  the  region  of 
Scripture,  we  are  presented  in  the  train  of  his  followers  with 
innumerable  lesser  lights,  borrowing  from  him,  and  reflecting 
to  us.  All  these  are  attainable,  and  they  are  manifest  proofs 
to  us  of  the  fulfilment  of  God's  gracious  promises  in  the  res- 
toration of  our  fallen  nature :  there  we  see  the  weakness  of 
the  flesh  converted  into  the  strength  of  the  Spirit;  there  we 
see  exemplified  the  conquering  might  of  Christ  crucified ; 
thence  we  can  joyfully  gather  how  the  perfect  new  man  may 
hereafter  grow  out  of  our  sinful  nature ;  these  are  our  ances- 
tors in  the  church  of  Christ :  to  their  pictures  we  may  look 
up ;  with  the  memory  of  their  deeds  nourish  our  courage ; 
and,  by  imitating  them,  prove  ourselves  worthy  descendants 
of  the  spiritual  conquerors  of  the  world.  One  point  remains 
upon  which  it  is  necessary  to  bestow  a  brief  notice,  inasmuch 
as  it  supplies  the  ground  upon  which  the  authors  of  the 
modern  moral  philosophy  have  advanced  the  utility  of  their 
systems,  and  contended  that  Scripture  does  not  dispense  with 
them. 


THE  CHURCH  OP  GOD.  193 

It  has  often  been  remarked,  and  by  some  objected,  that 
Scripture,  considered  as  a  rule  of  life,  omits  some  important 
duties, — as,  for  example,  friendship  and  love  of  country. 
The  objection  is  much  more  apparent  than  real,  and  goes,  in 
effect,  no  farther  than  to  say,  that  these  abstract  terms  do  not 
occur  there.  We  may,  with  nearly  as  good  reason,  blame  the 
highly  national  Greek,  or  the  staunch  Roman,  because  they 
have  no  single  abstract  term  perfectly  expressing  our  word 
patriotism.  Scripture,  as  teaching,  not  on  professed  system, 
but  indirectly,  by  means  of  facts,  and  expressions  called  forth 
by  facts,  is,  on  that  account,  no  great  dealer  in  abstract  terms. 
But  let  the  above  terms  be  resolved  into  their  elements,  (and 
our  practice  must  always  so  resolve  them,)  and  every  part  is 
immediately  met  by  Scripture.  Thus,  with  regard  to  what 
is  implied  in  the  duty  of  friendship,  is  there  no  command  to 
be  kindly  affectionate  to  one  another,  in  honour  preferring  one 
another ;  none  to  bear  with  one  another ;  none  to  rejoice  with 
them  that  do  rejoice,  and  to  weep  with  them  that  do  weepT 
has  our  Saviour  left  no  such  act  on  record,  among  those  which 
marked  his  earthly  sojourn ;  does  his  intercourse  with  Laza- 
rus supply  no  example ;  and  are  there  few  elements  of  this 
duty  to  be  derived  by  him  who  is  engaged  in  the  daily  con- 
templation of  the  Son  of  God,  offeringhimself  upon  the  Cross 
for  his  redemption  1  The  fact  is,  that  Scripture  inculcates  a 
far  deeper,  a  much  more  holy  and  permanent  feeling  than  such 
as  is  implied  in  friendship,  which  is  included  as  the  less  in 
the  greater,  and  it  sums  all  up  in  a  single  term,  unknown  (in 
this  sense)  in  moral  systems,  brotherly-love  (Philadelphia.) 
It  has  been  said  also,  and  truly  said,  that  Scripture  sometimes 
attaches  blessings  or  curses  to  duties  or  offences  w^hich  it  has 
never  defined :  that  covenant-breakers,  for  instance,  are  de- 
nounced, but  the  nature  of  a  covenant  not  explained.  This 
is  the  very  strongest  example  that  could  have  been  chosen ; 
a  word  of  more  awful  import  does  not  occur  in  Scripture ;  it 
states  the  most  affecting  relation  in  which  man  stands  to  God  ; 
it  raises  up  immediately  before  his  mind  a  series  of  the  grand- 
est and  most  moving  events  which  have  occurred  upon  earth. 
Scripture,  in  fact,  presupposes  a  state  of  society  in  which 
such  duties  are  necessary,  and  such  terms  current.  But  since 
their  common  acceptation  in  society  may  seem  too  undefined 
for  all  cases  of  application,  to  what  source  shall  we  refer  for 
their  strict  definition.  We  must  evidently  have  recourse  to 
the  light  of  nature,  which  Scripture  presupposes ;  and  not. 


194  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OP  MORALITY  IN 

by  betaking  ourselves  to  a  mixture  of  the  light  of  nature  with 
that  of  the  Gospel,  commit  Scripture  in  the  absurdity  of  pre- 
supposing its  own  revelation. 

Practically  speaking,  there  will  be  little  necessity  even  for 
this.  In  practice,  men  are  seldom  curious  to  investigate  the 
bounds  of  duty  except  with  a  lurking  notion  of  transgressing 
them :  when  they  anxiously  discuss  the  limits  of  obedience, 
they  are  on  the  borders  of  rebellion ;  when  of  patriotism,  on 
the  brink  of  treason;  when  of  friendship,  on  the  verge  of 
treachery. 

Thus  it  has  been  endeavoured  to  show  the  nature  of  the 
doctrine  of  Christ  crucified,  as  bearing  upon  those  duties, 
which  the  moralists  assume  as  their  province.  In  the  course 
of  this  investigation,  there  has  surely  appeared  no  inclination 
to  undervalue  and  decry  the  usefulness  of  moral  philosophy  : 
so  far  from  it,  that  an  acquaintance  with  the  study,  as  based 
upon  the  mere  light  of  nature,  has  been  expressly  stated  at 
the  outset  to  be  essential  to  the  character  of  the  Christian 
scholar, — of  the  well-appointed  defender  of  his  faith.  But  to 
those  systems,  which,  by  borrowing  a  truth,  and  not  the 
whole  truth,  from  revelation,  obscure  the  light  of  nature,  at 
the  same  time  that  they  stain  the  purity  of  the  Gospel,  to 
them  it  is  freely  confessed  that  an  equal  deference  has  not 
been  paid.  Nor  can  he  who  addresses  you  sufficiently  ex- 
press, even  in  the  most  earnest  terms  of  deprecation,  his  full 
sense  and  dread  of  their  baneful  effects.  Alas !  what  they 
are  too  well  calculated  to  produce,  requires  no  additional  en- 
couragement. By  the  corrupt  infirmities  of  our  nature,  we 
are  already  but  too  well  disposed  to  dwell  slightly  upon  the 
great  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified,  to  have  recourse  to  any 
other  base  than  this  for  a  rule  of  life,  and,  like  the  wilful  le- 
per, to  prefer  Abanah  and  Pharphar  to  all  the  waters  of 
Israel.  From  long  habit,  also,  and  careless  enjoyment,  we 
are  disposed  to  mistake  an  indulgence  for  a  right,  and  thus 
to  deem  of  revealed  doctrines, — such  as  the  life  everlasting, — 
as  primary  inherent  principles  in  our  nature.  Add  to  this 
general  tendency,  vices,  which  impel  many  men  on  such  a 
forgetfulness  of  our  Saviour's  Cross,  weaknesses  which  in- 
cline almost  all.  Our  indolence  is  gratified  by  thinking  to 
rest  upon  this  one  single  fact  of  a  future  state,  without  being 
compelled  to  go  through  the  long  and  awakening  detail  by 
which  Scripture  conducts  us  :  our  vanity  looks  complacently 
at  the  dignity  of  future  glory,  but  turns  away  from  the  hu- 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD.  195 

miliatinor  rebuke  of  the  atonement :  our  love  of  enjoyment 
gazes  with  delight  on  the  prospect  of  the  happiness  to  come, 
but  shrinks  from  the  energy,  the  self-denial  and  mortification, 
held  forth  from  the  Cross  of  Christ.  Thus  all  our  corrupt 
nature  tends  with  the  whole  of  its  bias  this  way ;  and  shall 
education  be  called  in  to  confirm  it  1 

O  let  us  not  err  ourselves,  nor  lead  others  into  error :  to 
the  Christian  the  life  to  come  is  no  abstract  idea,  which  can 
be  bandied  about  in  heartless  selfish  calculation  ;  it  is  a  crowd 
of  ideas,  awful  and  vast,  bidding  defiance  to  the  management 
of  the  puny  mind  of  man.  It  is  no  single,  detached  fact, 
which  will  happen,  against  which  w^e  are  to  provide :  it  is 
one  of  a  series,  the  far  greater  part  of  which  has  happened, 
and  is  affecting  us  at  this  moment.  It  is  no  simple  element 
which  may  amuse  the  head :  it  combines  a  throng  of  emo- 
tions to  stir  the  heart.  Its  contemplation  cannot  be  taken  up 
by  any  one  at  his  pleasure ;  habitual  earnestness  alone  has 
this  privilege :  and  when  taken  up  it  requires  effort  to  main- 
tain as  we  should.  For  it  requires  to  be  maintained  by  stu- 
dious reading  of  God's  word ;  by  frequent  meditation  on  the 
intervention  between  God  and  man  there  detailed ;  and  by 
continual  prayer, — that  searcher  of  the  spirit,  and  opener  of 
the  heart. 

Nothing  is  so  dangerous  as  to  render  this  doctrine  familiar 
to  the  mind,  divested  of  its  Gospel  accompaniments  ;  and  the 
Christian  who  has  once  brought  himself  to  hold  it  steadily  in 
view  without  including  Christ  crucified,  has  in  that  moment 
virtually  denied  the  Lord  who  bought  him,  reckoned  his  blood 
common  blood,  crucified  Christ  afresh.  Let  the  cold  cal- 
culator be  told  that  it  is  Christ  crucified  which  alone  enables 
him  or  gives  him  any  right  to  look  onward  to  the  reward  of 
another  life :  it  is  this  alone  (and  not  human  precept)  which 
can  sustain  his  feet  in  this  world,  amid  the  shock  of  daily 
conflict ;  and  to  this  alone  (and  to  no  help  of  human  reason) 
when  wounded  by  the  great  adversary,  can  he  look  up,  as  to 
its  brazen  type  of  old,  and  be  healed.  Here  alone  lie  all  his 
means  of  grace ;  here  alone  are  seated  all  his  hopes  of  glory. 
A  celebrated  father*  of  the  church,  in  remarking  on  the  ac- 
complishment of  these  words  of  the  prophet,  "  and  his  rest 
shall  be  glorious,"  says,  in  his  fanciful  manner,  "  the  very 
form  of  his  death  is  more  glorious  than  a  diadem.     Therefore 

*  Chrysostom,  Vol.  I.  p.  569.    Ed.  Benedict. 


1  96         ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MORALITY,  &C. 

kings,  putting  off  the  diadem,  take  up  the  Cross,  the  symbol 
of  his  death :  on  the  purple  the  Cross,  on  diadems  the  Cross, 
in  prayers  the  Cross,  on  arms  the  Cross,  on  the  holy  table 
the  Cross,  and  in  every  quarter  of  the  world  the  Cross  shines 
more  glorious  than  the  sun."  What  in  his  days  was  fast 
quitting  the  heart,  and  taking  its  place  among  the  baubles  of 
outside  show,  degenerating  into  the  sign  of  a  wretched  su- 
perstition, let  us,  in  accordance  with  purer  times,  resume 
spiritually  in  our  bosoms.  When  we  rise,  the  Cross  :  when 
we  lie  down,  the  Cross :  in  our  thoughts,  the  Cross  :  in  our 
studies,  the  Cross:  in  our  conversation,  the  Cross:  every- 
where, and  at  every  time,  the  Cross,  shining  more  glorious 
than  the  sun.  Yea !  Let  this,  in  our  warfare  below,  be- 
come our  sign,  and  in  this  we  shall  conquer. 


197 


DISSERTATION  XV. 


ON    THE    COMPARATIVE     OPPORTUNITIES     OF     THE    EARLIER    AND 
LATER    CHURCH. 

See  then  that  yc  walk  circumspectly^  not  as  fools^  but  as  tvise,  re- 
deeming the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil. — Ephes.  v.  15,  16. 

The  literal  sense  of  the  phrase  "  redeeming  the  time,"  in 
this  passage,  and  in  one  parallel  in  the  parallel  Epistle  to 
the  Colossians,  has  been  variously  interpreted.  It  is  quite 
sufficient  for  the  present  purpose  to  gather  the  general  import 
of  the  text,  which  appears  to  be,  that  the  Ephesians  should 
direct  their  course  of  life  with  all  wisdom  and  discernment, 
full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  will  of  God,  so  as  to  be  enabled 
to  distinguish  the  opportunities  which  he  presents,  and  to 
turn  them  to  proper  account,  accompanied  and  confused  as 
they  are  with  the  numerous  impediments  to  godliness,  created 
by  evil  times. 

That  the  days  are  evil,  has  been  the  warning  cry  of  every 
period  of  the  church  until  now,  no  less  under  Christian  than 
under  Heathen  governments :  for  to  every  period  has  been 
assigned  some  peculiar  trial  of  the  godliness  of  its  members. 
It  has  sometimes  been  sounded  forth  in  notes  of  encourage- 
ment to  resist ;  sometimes  in  the  voice  of  most  earnest  depre- 
cation to  forbear ;  according  as  it  has  at  one  time  appeared  in 
the  shape  of  violent  persecution,  as  it  did  to  the  Ephesians, 
and  the  rest  of  the  primitive  church,  or,  at  another,  assumed 
the  less  repulsive  but  not  less  dangerous  form  of  imposing 
prosperity.  This  cry  may  be  louder  at  different  times;  but 
yet,  as  Christ  has  promised  to  his  church  to  be  with  it  to  the 
end  of  the  world,  as  he  has  promised  to  every  two  or  three 
met  together  to  be  in  the  midst  of  them,  as  he  has  promised 
to  each  individual  a  suffi,ciency  of  grace,  and  that  he  shall  not 
S 


198  COMPARATIVE  OPPORTUNITIES  OF  THE 

be  tempted  beyond  what  he  can  bear,  but  that  a  way  to  es- 
cape shall  be  made  for  him  ;  it  must  be  concluded,  that  any  pe- 
culiar disadvantage  under  which  this  or  that  period  may  seem 
to  labour,  is  balanced  also  by  some  peculiar  advantage,  and 
that  none  has  occasion  for  superior  boast  or  complaint.  How- 
ever unequal  the  ways  of  man,  the  ways  of  God  are  equal. 

It  is  now  proposed  to  examine  this  point  by  taking  two  ex- 
treme periods,  the  earlier  and  later  times  of  the  Christian 
church.  Such  a  comparison  must,  if  any  thing  can,  be  decisive 
of  the  question,  since  two  periods  could  not  be  selected,  more 
contrasted.  They  are  as  opposite  as  nearness  and  distance, — 
as  danger  and  security, — as  wonders  and  commonplace. 

The  first  thing  which  strikes  the  inquirer  on  approaching 
this  investigation,  is  the  apparently  unqualified  superiority  of 
the  earlier  period,  shown  in  its  possession  of  miraculous  pow- 
ers ;  and  at  these  a  wistful  eye  is  often  cast  by  persons  who, 
not  having  taken  due  pains  to  lay  a  sure  ground  of  faith,  are 
troubled  with  difficulties  and  fits  of  scepticism,  and  cry  out 
for  signs  and  wonders,  that  they  might  believe :  and  again, 
by  those  also  who,  disheartened  at  their  own  want  of  energy, 
finding  it  so  far  below  the  point  to  which  they  are  conscious 
it  should  attain,  wish  for  the  supernatural  spur  which  operated 
upon  the  minds  of  the  early  Christians. 

A  nearer  inspection  will  reduce  this  superiority  to  the  level 
of  our  own  times.  For  with  regard  to  the  exhibition  of  mira- 
cles, so  much  coveted,  it  ought  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  they 
acted  no  farther,  in  the  first  instance,  than  as  challenges  of  the 
attention  of  the  witness  to  the  doctrine  promulgated  by  the 
worker.  That  doctrine  was  still  to  be  investigated,  for  the 
miracle  may  proceed  from  a  good  or  evil  source  (Matt.  xii. 
24),  and  therefore  it  was  that  the  Beraeans,  in  the  most 
fruitful  period  of  these  extraordinary  interpositions  of  divine 
power,  when  the  wondrous  works  of  the  apostles  were  sound- 
ing in  their  ears,  and  displaying  before  their  eyes,  tried  the 
spirits  whether  they  were  of  God ;  searching  the  Scriptures 
daily,  to  see  whether  these  things  were  so.  The  question, 
therefore,  is  reduced  to  this, — 1.  Is  there  now  an  equally 
importunate  challenge?  2.  Are  there  equal  means  of  in- 
vestigation 1 

1.    The  first  question  is  quickly  resolved. 

When  a  miracle  was  exhibited  before  the  eyes  of  the  ancient 
heathen,  it  by  no  means  necessarily  roused  his  attention  to  a 
proper  pitch  of  curiosity.     Prejudice  was  active,  subterfuges 


EARLIER  AND  LATER  CHURCH.        199 

had  been  invented,  and  he  could  stifle  all  tendency  to  further 
investigation,  by  ascribing  it  to  magic,  or  the  powers  ordi- 
narily claimed  by  the  wonder-workers  of  the  day.  To  be- 
hold and  to  proceed  in  inquiry,  demanded  sincerity  of  heart, 
unconquerable  love  of  truth,  a  fortitude  to  abide  the  conse- 
quences of  conviction,  which  were  by  no  means  doubtful  or 
desirable.  Hence  even  of  the  beholders  the  number  of  con- 
verts was  comparatively  small,  and  were  of  that  little  band 
(how  little,  alas  !  in  every  stage  of  society,)  who  dared  to  see 
with  their  own  eyes,  and  act  upon  the  dictates  of  their  own 
breasts. 

But  it  was  not  to  every  convert  that  a  miracle  was  ex- 
hibited ;  and  where  there  was  a  single  link  of  evidence  inter- 
posed, the  above  indisposing  causes  would  operate  with 
tenfold  influence.  The  interval  was  equivalent  to  the  whole 
series  of  evidence  interposed  between  thoSe  days  and  ours ; 
and  if  he  did  not  follow  up  immediately  the  call  upon  his 
attention,  all  trace  was  soon  lost:  the  Christian  was  met  but 
here  and  there,  came  and  went,  and  was  quickly  lost  sight  of 
amid  the  predominance  of  the  Pagan  world.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  unbeliever  of  these  days  must  divest  himself  of 
first-instilled  principles,  and  absolutely  make  his  escape  from 
society,  yea,  even  from  the  face  of  inanimate  nature,  studded 
as  it  is  with  monuments  of  Christianity,  if  he  would  avoid 
the  incessant  solicitation  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Assuredly 
it  would  be  ridiculous  for  the  modern  even  to  hint  at 
any  disadvantage  here. 

2.  With  regard  to  the  means  of  research,  the  modern  may 
murmur  at  the  nearness  of  source  to  the  ancients, — at  its  dis- 
tance from  himself:  may  complain  that  he  has  to  trace  up  a 
long  course  of  evidence,  extending  through  many  ages  :  that 
while  he  dips  his  scoop  in  the  stream,  he  has  not  in  imme- 
diate sight  the  cleaving  arm  and  the  yawning  rock  to  assure 
him  of  its  miraculous  source.  How  justifiable  such  a  com- 
plaint may  be,  will  appear  from  a  very  brief  parallel  of  their 
respective  means  of  evidence,  and  motives  to  enter  faithfully 
upon  it.  To  the  one  is  presented  the  Church  of  Christ, 
young,  insignificant,  and  scattered;  but  concentrated,  with 
surpassing  power,  upon  every  point,  however  detached,  by  its 
possession  of  miraculous  powers :  to  the  other,  the  church 
established  for  ages,  universally  diflfused,  strong  in  connexion 
with  the  bonds  of  society,  but  gifted  only  with  the  ordinary 
powers  of  the  spirit.   To  the  one,  the  records  of  faith,  not  always 


200  COMPARATIVE  OPPORTUNITIES  OF  THE 

at  hand  to  peruse,  not  always  perhaps  collected  into  one  body, 
hut  cotemporary  with  his  own  days,  or  not  long  prior :  to  the 
other,  every  where  at  hand,  gathered  into  one  volume  universally 
acknowledged,  but  of  a  date  long  prior  to  his  own  times.  To  the 
one,  an'  acquaintance  with  a  despised  people  and  a  barbarous 
literature  :  to  the  other,  all  that  has  been  in  association  in  his 
mind  with  good  and  admirable  from  his  cradle.  To  the  one  a 
brief  examination,  with  little  leisure  and  much  peril :  to  the 
other  a  long  review,  with  ample  leisure  and  unbounded  secu- 
rity. W  ith  regard  to  motive,  the  one  had  every  reason  to  desist, 
where  the  other  had  every  reason  to  begin.  Where  the  con- 
vert looked  around  for  others  to  keep  him  in  countenance,  he 
saw  them  sprinkled  here  and  there,  the  offscourings,  scoff, 
and  derision  of  the  world ;  the  food  of  the  axe,  the  stake  and 
the  amphitheatre :  while  the  other  beholds  all  the  civilized 
tribes  of  earth, — the  wise  and  the  good,  princes  and  their  peo- 
ple, challenging  him  to  their  example,  and  crying  out  unto 
him,  in  freedom  and  not  in  bonds,  to  be  even  such  as  they. 

In  reply  to  the  more  reasonable  demand  of  the  other,  who 
covets  the  moral  effect  of  the  miracles  of  the  early  church  in 
stirring  up  the  energies  to  holy  action,  we  may  first  assert, 
generally,  that  the  ancient,  not  having  been  nursed  up  from 
his  cradle  in  the  faith,  may  reasonably  expect  a  more  power- 
ful excitement,  and  that  what  was  lost  in  time  should  be 
made  up  in  intensity :  we  should  also  take  into  the  account 
the  overwhelming  trials  to  which  he  was  exposed.  If,  how- 
ever, it  be  answered,  as  it  may,  that  such  trials  have  occurred 
in  later  periods  without  any  corresponding  supernatural  help, 
then  (to  omit  the  remark,  that  the  extraordinary  gifts  at  that 
period  bestowed,  were  not  so  much  designed  for  the  assist- 
ance of  individuals,  as  necessary  to  the  very  existence  of  the 
church,  and  have  accordingly  been  withdrawn,  since  it  has 
ceased  to  be  a  scattered  and  helpless  body,)  we  may  confi- 
dently assert,  that  the  desired  moral  effect  still  resides  with 
the  church,  in  its  documents,  the  Holy  Scriptures ;  to  which, 
if  a  person  diligently  apply,  and  open  his  heart,  he  cannot 
but  imbibe  the  effect,  which  is  not  the  less  abiding  for  not 
being  communicated  by  immediate  impulse.  In  fact,  the  dis- 
tance at  which  he  views  the  w^ondrous  dealings  of  God  in 
olden  times,  is  compensated  by  their  being  presented,  not  de- 
tached, as  they  must  have  been  to  the  spectator;  but  coming 
before  his  mind  in  one  harmonious  series,  converging  to  one 
purpose,  not  to  the  benefit  of  this  or  that  individual  or  parti- 


EARLIER  AND  LATER  CHURCH.        201 

cular  church, — as  they  might  have  appeared  when  they  took 
place, — but  to  the  Support  and  glory  of  the  universal  church ; 
to  the  comfort  and  encouragement  of  its  members  throughout 
all  lands  and  all  ages,  to  the  end  of  the  world.  O  yes  !  even 
to  us  at  the  present  day,  if  we  but  give  our  hearts  and  minds 
their  due  exercise  in  their  most  glorious  province,  and  draw 
nigh  with  them  and  commune  with  Him,  to  whom  a  thousand 
years  are  as  a  day,  and  generations  but  a  span  long,  the  effect 
of  those  wondrous  works  comes  down  through  ages  undi- 
minished. Even  to  us  the  dumb  speaks,  the  withered  arm 
glows  with  life,  the  leper  drops  his  polluting  scales, — the 
lame  walk,  the  blind  see,  the  dead  arise. 

To  say  nothing  of  individual  experience,  we  have  convinc- 
ing proof  of  this  from  public  and  well-known  facts,  for  in 
what  instance  have  the  modern  martyrs  fallen  beneath  the  an- 
cient 1  Their  bodily  sufferings  could  scarcely  be  less,  their 
spiritual  trial  certainly  more  severe,  as  it  was  administered 
by  false  brethren,  and  not  by  avowed  unbelievers.  Mighty, 
indeed,  is  the  power  of  the  word  of  God,  when  read  diligently 
and  earnestly,  as  if  it  were  the  voice  of  oar  Saviour  speaking 
to  us,  searching  our  thoughts,  and  rousing  our  affections  ;  but 
it  comes  with  incalculable  force  in  the  hour  of  trouble,  which 
shuts  out  all  help  and  comfort  from  without,  and  compels  us 
to  the  only  place  of  refuge,  the  throne  of  God,  established  in 
our  own  bosoms  by  long  and  unwearied  edification  of  his 
Gospel. 

Thus  far  with  regard  to  the  most  obvious  appearance  of 
unequal  distribution  of  advantages  to  the  members  of  the 
earlier  and  later  church.  A  less  prominent,  but  certainly 
not  less  important,  subject  of  comparison,  is  the  nature  of 
those  daily  and  ordinary  opportunities,  which  the  Christian 
is  to  distinguish,  and  to  separate  from  their  accompanying 
impediments,  and  turn  to  the  account  of  godliness. 

Christ  in  his  holy  church  has  assigned  to  every  one  his 
proper  station.  All  is  ordained  of  him,  even  to  the  very  door- 
keepers of  his  house,  the  lowest  of  his  holy  priesthood. 
And  as  he  has  openly  appointed  some  apostles,  some  prophets, 
some  evangelists,  and  some  pastors  and  teachers,  with  their 
respective  spheres  of  duty ;  so  has  he  also,  not  less  really, 
though  from  the  nature  of  the  thing  less  visibly,  determined 
the  place  and  duties  of  all  those  for  whose  edification  they 
were  appointed  :  and  most  gTievously  will  the  layman  mistake, 
if  he  thinks  that  all  his  thoughts  and  actions  are  to  be  less 
s2 


202         rOMPAP.ATIVE  OrPORTUNITIES  OF  THE 

directfid  towards  the  honour  and  ^]ory  of  the  jrreat  head  and 
glorious  hody  to  which  he  belongs,  than  the  lives  of  those 
who  occupy,  as  doctors  in  his  church,  a  more  definite  place. 
If  his  exertions  he  from  his  station  less  conspicuous,  they 
must  not  be  less  substantial ;  from  every  one  God  requires 
the  whole  of  his  services,  which  he  must  duly  render,  keep- 
ing watch  with  his  eye  by  day,  and  his  ear  by  night.  From 
the  moment  that  the  Christian  awakes  each  day,  to  that  in 
which  his  Master  kindly  lays  him  down  again,  he  is  encoun- 
tered by  a  perpetual  throng  of  circumstances, — in  which  he 
must  distinguish  good  from  evil,  extracting  from  them  the 
opportunity  which  God  presents,  and  surmounting  the  impedi- 
ments with  which  it  may  be  clogged.  He  must  not  think 
to  despise  the  slightness  of  the  occasion:  were  it,  in  his 
Lord's  own  words,  but  to  give  a  cup  of  cold  water,  it  must 
not  be  passed  by.  For  it  comes  immediately  from  his  hands, 
it  is  afforded  as  a  means  of  stirring  up,  and  calling  out  into 
practice  the  grace  which  is  in  him;  of  exercising  his  spiritual 
strength,  of  trj'ing  his  discernment;  and  is  the  forerunner  of 
another,  which  its  omission  will  render  more  difficult,  both  of 
being  distinguished  and  arrested.  Unemployed  it  is  irrevo- 
cable; misemployed  it  is  pernicious.  Such  opportunities  are 
too  apt  to  be  estimated  by  the  effects  which  they  produce 
around  us;  which  may  often  be  trifling,  and  not  upon  us, 
which  can  never  be  unimportant,  oftener  than  we  think,  most 
momentous.  Thus  at  every  step  and  turn,  the  Christian  has 
some  call  upon  him  to  separate  good  from  evil ;  to  choose  the 
one  and  eschew  the  other,  diligently  distinguishing  the  work 
of  the  Lord  from  the  business  of  the  world. 

Applying  these  considerations  to  the  case  before  us,  it  must 
be  allowed  that  the  state  of  prosperity  and  security,  by  which 
the  present  period  of  the  church  differs  from  the  earlier,  espe- 
cially from  that  in  which  the  apostle  addressed  the  P^phe- 
sians,  makes  the  discernment  of  God's  opportunities  more 
difficult.  We  are  not  mingled  with  the  heathen  side  by  side, 
the  contrast  of  whose  darkness  would  bring  them  before  us  in 
a  stronger  light ;  they  are  of  the  colour  of  all  around, — lie 
hid  in  the  multiplicity  of  similar  shapes.  It  is  Christian 
society  all  around  us.  At  the  same  time,  however,  we  are 
delivered  from  the  dangerous  infection  of  the  heathen's  ex- 
ample, which,  while  it  threw  some  things  forward  in  a 
stronger  light,  offered  too  convenient  a  shade  for  others. 
Again,  not  to  dwell  upon  the  unwillingness  of  exertion  pro- 


EARLIER  AND  LATER  CHURCH.       203 

duced  by  such  a  state,  prosperity  mingles  evil  with  good  in  so 
subtle  an  union,  throws  such  an  equalizing  gloss  on  the  face 
of  things,  and  renders,  also,  by  the  compact  condition  of 
society  which  accompanies  it,  relations  so  complicated,  that 
a  steady  and  acute  discernment  is  necessary  to  distinguish 
what  is  wholesome  from  what  is  unwholesome.  Whereas 
in  times  of  affliction,  where  society  is  broken  up,  those  rela- 
tions are  narrow  and  simple ;  the  opportunity  to  be  arrested 
is  of  greater  dimensions,  comes  in  a  pronounced  and  distinct 
form,  set  out  in  all  the  contrast  of  light  and  shade.  But  then 
it  comes  accompanied  with  circumstances  of  terror  and  dis- 
may, sufficient  to  quell  any  heart  which  has  not  prepared 
itself  to  undergo  the  extreme  of  suffering.  While  in  the 
other  case,  the  person  raises  around  him  but  a  ring  or  two  of 
waves  of  trouble  upon  the  calm  surface  of  society,  and  all  is 
still  as  before.  Besides,  this  latter  has  had  more  leisure  to 
form  and  give  an  edge  to  his  discernment ;  he  has  been  all 
along  used  to  the  minute  shades  by  which  circumstances 
around  him  are  distinguished,  and  the  calm  and  security  with 
which  God  hath  blessed  him,  will  indeed  have  been  abused, 
if  it  shall  not  have  been  employed  in  maturing  the  faculties 
which  he  has  given  him,  with  a  view  to  their  improvement. 
Steadiness  of  view,  patience  of  observation,  and  a  quick  dis- 
cernment of  minute  differences,  are  the  qualities  which  his 
state  is  required  to  produce.  But  supposing  the  opportunity 
equally  discerned  by  each  party,  it  may  now  be  contended 
that  it  is  not  with  us  presented  in  company  with  those  dis- 
tinct and  energetic  motives  to  action,  which  enforced  its 
application  in  earlier  times.  It  is  true  that  in  our  days  of 
peace,  society  moves  but  sjuggishly  in  answer  to  any  im- 
pression. The  effect,  therefore,  does  not  so  immediately 
follow;  there  are  certain  stages  in  the  operation,  and  hence 
also  we  have  often  a  series  of  motives  to  go  through,  before 
we  arrive  at  the  final  which  determines.  We  are,  moreover, 
naturally  reluctant  to  disturb  the  calm  surface  around  us  by 
any  unusual  exertion.  Whereas  in  the  other  case,  the  effect 
would  more  immediately  follow,  and  society  was  already  in 
derangement.  But  we  have  most  ample  compensation  in 
this,  that  our  declining  of  such  opportunities  is  not  so  imme- 
diately fatal.  There  is  a  train  of  them,  and  in  the  space 
allowed  us  between  the  neglect  of  the  first,  and  a  fall  from 
the  faith,  we  may  relieve  ourselves  by  arresting  another. 
But  there  was  presented  at  once  the  dreadful  final  alterna- 


204         COMPARATIVE   OPPORTUNITIES  OF  THE 

live — "  Christ  or  no  Christ," — and  the  opportunity  once 
passed,  gave  him  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  accused  him  of 
apostacy,  bade  him  curse  God,  and  die.  The  author  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  says  (vi.  4),  "For  it  is  impossible 
for  those  who  were  once  enlightened,  and  have  tasted  of  the 
heavenly  gift;  and  were  made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  have  tasted  the  good  word  of  God,  and  the  powers  of  the 
world  to  come ;  if  they  shall  fall  away,  to  renew  them  again 
unto  repentance,  seeing  that  they  crucify  unto  themselves  the 
son  of  God  afresh,  and  put  him  to  an  open  shame."  Any 
wilful  sin  w^as  certain,  in  those  days  of  persecution,  to  draw 
that  of  apostacy  with  it;  the  above  passage,  therefore,  would 
excite  no  remark  upon  its  uncompromising  severity.  Yet 
how  alarming  is  its  tone  to  the  reader  of  the  present  day ; 
conscious  of  wilful  sin,  how  dreadful  does  he  find  his  situa- 
tion, and  how  disproportionate  does  he  think  the  conse- 
quences to  the  offence:  but  how  relieved  he  feels  at  once 
from  all  his  terrors,  when  he  has  discovered  it  is  the  sin  of 
apostacy  which  is  thus  terribly  denounced;  and  how  careful 
modern  commentators  are  to  assure  him  of  this.  We  have 
in  this  fact  a  strong  proof  of  the  happiness  of  our  lot  in  these 
later  days. 

We  might  proceed  to  a  long  extent  in  comparing  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  two  periods;  but  sufficient  perhaps  has 
been  already  stated,  and  it  may  be  enough  to  observe  in 
brief,  that  then  physical  courage  was  rather  called  into  ac- 
tion,— now  moral :  then  danger  w^as  rather  the  object  of 
dread, — now  opinion  :  then  man  was  combated  rather  face  to 
face, — now  he  is  entrapped  by  a  net  for  the  feet.  The 
tempter  then  had  more  recourse  to  brute  force, — now  he  in- 
sinuates. On  these  and  similar  points  we  should  still  find 
advantage  and  disadvantage  equally  distributed  to  the  two 
periods,  and  that  God's  ways  are  equal ;  it  is  ours  that  are 
unequal. 

We  are  not,  therefore,  in  the  least  behind  our  predecessors 
in  the  church  of  Christ  on  this  consideration  :  we  have  equal 
means  wath  the  Ephesians  of  redeeming  the  time,  since  the 
days  are  evil.  And  having  ascertained  the  peculiar  cha- 
racter of  our  times,  let  us  become  sensible  to  the  imposing 
necessity  of  turning  it  to  its  proper  account;  of  using  the 
leisure  and  security  which  w^e  are  enjoying  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  faculties  with  which  God  has  blessed  us;  to  bring 
them,  in  a  time  so  favourable,  to  that  degree  of  ripeness,  that 


EARLIER  AND  LATER  CHURCH.        205 

we  may  in  every  case  distinguish  the  occasions  presented  by 
our  master,  of  serving  him  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  his 
name.  There  are  also  not  a  few  errors,  peculiar  to  this  our 
state,  against  which  we  have  to  guard ;  and  one  or  two  of 
these  I  shall  now  proceed  to  describe. 

When  alarmed  at  the  uncontemplated  result  of  any  action, 
men  are  apt  to  fly  for  consolation  to  the  consciousness  of 
having  done  it  with  the  best  and  purest  intentions.  Now 
this  would  be  a  reasonable  resource  for  one  who,  as  in  the 
times  of  ancient  persecution,  lived  from  day  to  day  with  his 
life  on  the  edge  of  the  sword;  who,  in  jeopardy  every  hour, 
had  little  time  to  balance  consequences,  and  therefore  trusted 
in  God  for  supplying  his  deficiency  of  foresight,  provided 
the  feeling  upon  which  he  acted  were  right.  But  it  will  furnish 
no  excuse  for  us  of  this  our  period.  The  great  searcher  of 
all  hearts  has  for  us  another  interrogation  to  put:  "  Has  due 
advantage  been  taken  of  the  leisure  and  security  afforded  in 
my  church,  to  form  that  conscience  aright?  The  volume 
containing  my  will  has  never  been  violently  plucked  out  of 
your  hands ;  so  comparatively  regular  is  the  train  of  events, 
that  scarcely  one  might  not  have  been  provided  against  by  a 
mind  zealous  of  obedience ;  your  meditations  have  been  un- 
broken from  without.  What  excuse  then  can  you  plead  for 
being  taken  by  surprise  at  any  moment,  and  being  obliged  to 
act  blindfold  upon  the  crude  and  hasty  dictates  of  an  unin- 
formed conscience]"  Let  us  anticipate  in  our  own  hearts 
this  solemn  interrogation,  and  judge  ourselves,  that  we  be 
not  judged  of  the  Lord. 

If  mere  conscience  (not  considering  whether  it  be  informed 
or  not,  according  to  the  means  afforded),  be  sufficient  to 
sanctify  any  act,  how  soon  would  the  will  of  our  master  be- 
come a  dead  letter,  since  he  that  knows  much,  and  he  that 
knows  little,  may  then  do  equally  good  service.  How  un- 
necessarily urgent  would  seem  the  apostle's  injunction  "  to 
be  vigilant,  to  be  sober,  to  be  understanding  what  the  will  of 
the  Lord  is."  Why  need  we  think  of  the  advice,  "to  exa- 
mine our  ownselves,  prove  our  ownselves,  know  our  own- 
selves  ?"  Why  should  we  take  heed  to  the  warning  of  the 
prophet,  who  tells  us  tliat  "  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all 
things'?"  Why  to  the  command  "to  make  the  best  of  the 
talents  committed  to  our  charge,"  of  which  the  knowledge  of 
God's  will  is  the  most  precious,  for  he  has  not  made  us  mere 
creatures  of  impulse"?     Assuredly  the  heart  which  has  not 


206         COMPARATIVE  OPPORTUNITIES  OP  THE 

been  strictly  trained  up,  and  informed  by  diligent  comparison 
with  God's  holy  word  and  commandments, — which  has  not 
had  its  motives  continually  and  jealously  questioned,  nor 
been  checked  here,  spurned  there,  disciplined  every  where, 
will,  when  suddenly  called  forth,  carry  into  action  some  in- 
terested motive,  some  unworthy  affection,  which  the  emer- 
gency of  the  moment  allows  it  not  leisure  to  sift  and  expel. 
When  too  late  they  make  their  appearance,  overwhelm  with 
shame  and  confusion,  and  discourage  in  future  from  the  very 
best  and  safest  undertakings. 

If  in  this  period  we  are  called  upon  for  a  higher  exertion 
of  our  faculties,  we  have  also  to  guard  more  against  that 
abuse  of  them,  which,  like  the  weed  to  the  plant,  is  so  apt  to 
spring  up  with  them,  and  choke  or  distort  their  growth.  One 
of  these,  beyond  all  others,  requires  a  constant  curb  from 
the  sober  and  vigilant  Christian;  and  the  more  so,  perhaps, 
in  proportion  to  the  cultivation  of  his  mind, — and  that  is  the 
imagination.  Beyond  number,  indeed,  and  beyond  weight, 
are  the  evils  to  which  its  abuse  may  give  birth :  one  only, 
however,  concerns  the  subject  now  in  hand. 

In  those  early  days  of  the  church,  to  which  so  much 
reference  has  been  made,  the  real  and  deeply  contrasted 
events  with  which  they  were  engaged,  the  numerous  perils 
with  which  they  were  beset  around,  the  frequent  calls  to 
come  forward  and  do  or  suffer,  utterly  prevented  them  from 
attending  to  its  delusions.  But  in  a  period  of  leisure  and 
security,  like  ours,  it  is  drawn  upon  to  supply  as  it  may  that 
excitement,  and  administer  to  that  novelty  which  is  so  natural 
to  man.  This  it  is  which,  above  all,  blinds  the  mind's  sight 
to  the  occasions  presented  by  the  hand  of  God.  They  are 
not  sufficiently  striking,  forsooth,  they  are  associated  with 
common-place,  and  the  detail  of  ordinary  life;  they  are 
tricked  out  in  none  of  those  brilliant  colours  with  which  it 
has  invested  the  day  of  proof  and  trial ;  they  are  therefore 
carelessly  passed  by, — another  comes,  and  still  another,  but 
neither  is  it  yet  the  time.  He  reserves  himself  for  a  day  of 
his  own  choosing,  and  not  of  God's  offering;  he  looks  for- 
ward in  his  carnal  mind  to  some  theatrical  exhibition  of  his 
faith ;  and  the  future  confessor,  amid  his  lofty  speculation,  is 
overthrown  and  brought  to  the  ground  by  the  slightest  and 
the  most  despised  of  daily  incidents :  for  the  value  of  any 
excitemerlt  of  mind  where  this  power  alone  is  concerned, — 
for  the  reality  of  his  zeal,  his  love,  his  faith,  and  all  on  which 


EARLIER  AND  LATER  CHURCH.       207 

he  builds,  I  would  refer  him  to  no  unsubstantial  vision,  but 
an  actual  scene  which  shortly  preceded  the  death  of  our 
blessed  Lord.  Of  that  immense  crowd  which,  with  waving 
boughs  of  palm,  and  loud  hosannas,  were  conducting  him 
through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  over  their  strewn  garments, 
in  triumph  to  his  temple,  how  many,  but  a  few  days  after, 
interfered  to  save  him  from  the  Cross?  how  many  did  not 
surround  that  Cross  with  mockings  and  revilings  1 

Shall  the  opportunity  then  set  before  his  eyes,  serve  at 
best  but  as  a  key  note  to  a  strain  of  idle  dreaming,  and  un- 
profitable speculation  ]  Yet,  to  use  the  words  of  the  law- 
giver, it  is  not  hidden  from  him,  neither  is  it  afar  off:  it  is 
not  in  heaven  nor  beyond  the  sea,  but  it  is  nigh  unto  him 
that  he  may  do  it.  O,  never  let  the  healthy  activity  of  prac- 
tice yield  to  a  morbid  habit  of  speculation ;  hurtful  as  the 
effects  of  such  an  exchange  will  be,  they  will  not  stop  at 
mere  neglect  of  opportunities,  but  go  on  to  undermine  the 
foundations  of  religious  faith,  which  can  continue  pure  in 
doctrine,  and  vital  in  practice,  only  by  resolutely  casting  off 
all  self-conceived  notions  ;  by  bringing  the  imagination  in 
strict  subjection  to  the  sober  tenor  of  Scripture,  by  giving  up 
the  heart  in  all  simplicity,  and  the  mind  in  concentrated 
attention  upon  its  facts  and  doctrines,  and  by  seeking 
diligently  every  occasion  to  put  the  grace  of  God  into 
practical  eflect. 

When  our  blessed  Saviour  was  anointed  by  Mary  with  a 
most  costly  unguent,  a  murmur  was  vented  against  her  by 
the  man  who  was  on  the  point  of  betraying  him,  because  she 
had  not  rather  sold  it,  and  distributed  the  money  to  the  poor. 
Our  Lord  approved  of  Mary's  act,  he  accepted  it  as  the  last 
pious  ofhce  of  a  nearest  and  dearest  friend,  who  had  thus 
anointed  his  body  for  burial.  By  this  approval,  he  has  given 
us  indeed  a  strong  admonition  how  we  should  employ  every 
occasion  of  showing  towards  him  our  entire  devotion  and 
love ;  for  that  occasion  is  offered  by  himself,  in  that  he  is  pe- 
culiarly present.  We  are  not  to  turn  away,  as  his  betrayer, 
and  the  tempter  of  that  betrayer  would  persuade  us,  and  shut  up 
our  heart;  substituting  for  the  lively  reality  a  crowd  of  beings 
of  neither  time  nor  place,  who  can  neither  feel  nor  be  felt  for. 
Thus  entering  into  a  ruinous  barter,  by  which  we  may  think 
to  make  compensation  for  our  neglect  of  God's  work,  by  the 
greater  good  which  we  imagine  ourselves  to  be  pursuing,  and 
proceeding  in  regular  course  from  sins  of  omission  to  those  of 


208         COMPARATIVE  OPPORTUNITIES  OF  THE 

commission.  What  indeed  were  this  but  a  mental  idolatry, 
what  but  to  turn  from  the  face  of  the  living  God  and  address 
ourselves  to  the  work  of  our  own  hands ;  rather  let  us  pour 
upon  him,  now  that  he  is  with  us,  the  whole  treasure  of  our 
exertions,  and  fill  the  house  of  his  presence  with  its  perfume. 
Whatever  the  future  may  be,  however  brilliant,  however  im- 
portant, let  us  remember  that,  by  God's  ordinance,  the  pre- 
sent is  the  only  door  to  it ;  and  if  in  our  hasty  presumption 
we  leap  over  the  wall,  we  alight  without  the  fold  of  God, 
and  not  within  it. 

In  that  fold,  in  his  holy  and  blessed  church,  we  have  been 
gathered  by  Christ,  having  been  bought  with  a  price,  even 
with  his  own  precious  blood,  and  are  his  servants  to  do  his 
will,  and  not  to  seek  our  own.  We  are  to  keep  a  vigilant 
look  out  for  the  opportunities  peculiar  to  the  several  stations 
which  he  has  assigned  us  ;  and  these,  if  attended  to,  are 
sufficient  to  crowd  our  sphere  of  duty  to  fulness.  In  arro- 
gating a  wider  range,  we  are  assuming  a  power  which  he  has 
not  accorded  us,  and  with  a  barren  ambition  overlooking  what 
he  has  put  legitimately  into  our  grasp.  There,  in  that  calling 
in  which  he  hath  called  us,  is  his  presence-chamber ;  there 
is  his  holy  place,  in  which  only  he  will  accept  our  offerings  ; 
there  is  the  Zion  of  the  living  God,  where  if  we  be  not  found, 
we  are  bowing  before  the  calves  at  Bethel.  If  our  own  ex- 
perience happily  has  not  taught  us,  let  us  learn  from  the 
warning  voice  of  others,  that  if  there  be  one  circumstance 
which  more  than  another  embitters  a  retrospect,  it  is  the 
view  of  unemployed  opportunities  :  they  have  glided  by  per- 
haps with  slight  impression,  and  carelessly  noticed  ;  but, 
like  those  bowmen  of  old,  are  terrible  when  past,  dealing  be- 
hind them  wounds  of  remorse  and  shame;  then  their  de- 
spiser,  in  amazement,  beholds  the  number  which  he  has 
permitted  to  pass  by,  and  sees  them  blocking  up  against  him 
that  point  to  which  they  were  tending,  and  might  have  con- 
ducted him.  And  that  is  some  blessing  from  which  he  now 
finds  himself  for  ever  excluded  ;  some  honourable  sphere  per- 
haps of  usefulness,  never  now  to  be  gained  ;  some  service  in 
his  Heavenly  Master's  house  on  earth,  replete  with  heart- 
filling  and  exalted  duties  which  is  now  unattainable:  and 
finding  that  fortune,  upon  which  he  has  been  drawing  like  a 
thoughtless  spendthrift,  entirely  empty  of  its  treasures,  sits 
down,  bankrupt  in  hope,  and  bemoaning  his  folly  in  vain. 

Can  he  complain  that  those  opportunities  came  to  him  not 


EARLIER  AND  LATER  CHURCH.        209 

sufficiently  distinct  for  his  apprehension  1  This  is  but  to 
admit  that  he  was  deficient  in  vigilance.  His  Heavenly 
Master  gave  him  ample  notice  of  their  passage,  for  all  were 
accompanied  with  some  change  of  body  or  mind,  or  the 
things  without ;  with  gain  or  with  loss  ;  with  joy  or  with 
sorrow ;  with  warning  or  with  invitation,  which  might  have 
awakened  all  but  the  determinedly  reckless.  And  by  their 
proper  disposal  he  might  have  obtained  the  gift  of  still 
greater,  and  seen  in  their  giver  an  unfailing  author  of  good, 
to  whom  he  could  look  up  with  confidence  in  the  hour  of 
need;  an  object  of  faithful  though  imperfect  services,  whom 
he  could  regard  with  the  sure  and  certain  hope  of  his  reward ; 
an  indulgent  and  long-suffering  Lord,  who  would  often  be 
content  to  take  the  will  for  the  deed.  But  now,  alas,  the 
contrast !  He  sees  in  that  giver  a  kind  master  neglected  and 
disobeyed;  a  friend  who  had  even  given  his  life  for  him 
empty-handed  and  unrequited;  a  witness  whose  testimony 
shall  reach  his  most  secret  and  perverse  ways  ;  and  a  judge 
with  whom  there  shall  be  no  favour. 

The  Lord  giveth  and  the  Lord  taketh  away.  Oh  !  as  he 
hath  given  us  the  light  through  his  Holy  Spirit,  may  he  con- 
tinue it  unto  us,  nor  may  we  by  recklessness  of  life  give  him 
cause  to  take  it  away.  May  we  thus  be  enabled  with  all  dis- 
cernment to  redeem  the  time,  with  grace  to  order  all  our 
works  to  his  honour  and  glory,  and  offer  to  him  in  our  souls 
and  our  bodies  a  continual  sacrifice  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving. 


T 


210 


DISSERTATION  XVI. 


ON  THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

And  when  these  things  begin  to  come  to  pass,  then  look  up,  and 
lift  up  your  heads,  for  your  redemption  draweth  nigh. — Luke, 
xxi.  28. 

Through  all  varieties  of  climes,  of  tongues,  of  laws,  of  cus- 
toms ;  through  all  alternations  of  barbarism  and  civilization  ; 
through  all  migrations  of  people,  changes  of  empire,  and  con- 
fusion of  the  tribes  of  mankind ;  through  all  these  impedi- 
ments the  Church  of  God  has  come  down  to  us  uninterrupted 
and  triumphant,  and  uninterrupted  and  triumphant  (our  Sa- 
viour has  informed  us)  it  shall  proceed  to  the  end.  But  as 
in  looking  back  upon  its  history  we  see  it  often  engaged  in  a 
desperate  conflict,  sometimes  brought  even  to  death's  door, 
so  in  looking  forward  we  must  expect  to  find  a  similar  state 
of  things,  to  see  her  still  militant  against  the  world,  and  the 
world  still  warring  upon  her ;  nor  are  we  left  to  reasonable 
expectation  alone.  Our  Lord  and  his  apostles  have  assured 
us  that  such  will  be  her  condition,  and  have  even  shadowed 
forth  in  words  of  prophecy  some  of  the  most  important  trials 
which  she  is  still  destined  to  undergo. 

Perhaps  at  no  period  of  the  world  has  the  face  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  presented  a  more  interesting  appearance  than  at 
the  present  day.  A  long  period  of  calm  and  security  is  past, 
and  a  period  of  most  foreboding  aspect  is  coming  on.  Super- 
stition and  infidelity,  which  combined  their  powers  against 
her  in  her  infancy,  are  once  again  in  open  league.  Wherever 
we  cast  our  eyes  they  are  met  with  churches  tottering,  and 
creeds  insulted.  But  it  was  amid  the  fearful  signs  which 
proclaimed  and  accompanied  the  overthrow  of  what  had  been 
a  portion  of  God's  Church,  that  our  blessed  Lord  bade  his 


ON  THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE  CHURCH.  211 

disciples  to  look  up,  and  lift  up  their  heads,  for  that  their  re- 
demption drew  nigh.  May  not  then  the  spiritual  man  derive 
a  similar  comfort  from  similar  signs  1  Certain  it  is,  that  a 
careful  reader  of  the  history  of  the  church  will  find,  that  the 
ruin  of  any  portion  of  it  has  led  to  the  extension  of  its  domi- 
nion in  other  quarters,  and  with  a  purer  creed.  A  connected 
series  of  events  is  readily  traced  between  the  lamentable  fall 
of  the  eastern  church,  and  the  spread  of  the  gospel  over  the 
western  hemisphere.  And,  in  every  case,  assured  as  we  are 
of  the  duration  of  the  body,  we  can  regard  the  visitations, 
which  afflict  its  individual  members,  as  the  operations  of  the 
master  of  the  vineyard ;  who  is  lopping  off  dead  branches, 
removing  choking  weeds  and  overshadowing  shrubs,  and 
pruning  even  his  choicest  vines ;  thus  baring  them  to  the  fos- 
tering breath  of  his  spirit,  and  to  the  ripening  sun  of  his  Gos- 
pel. So  that  here,  even  where  we  ourselves  are  sufferers, 
still  may  we  look  up,  and  rejoice  that  our  redemption  draweth 
nigh.  Yea,  even  should  our  own  particular  vine  be  shorn  to 
the  ground,  yet,  as  long  as  the  root  remains,  we  may  com- 
fort ourselves  with  confidently  looking  forward  to  its  shortly 
putting  forth  its  branches  with  redoubled  vigour  and  fruitful- 
ness.  That,  in  the  darkest  and  most  perplexing  times,  we 
may  quote  these  words  of  our  Lord  with  joyful  hope,  will 
appear  from  considering  that  by  a  law,  resulting  from  the  very 
nature  of  the  church,  a  period  of  affliction  will  usher  in  one 
of  triumph. 

The  church  is  a  society  taken  out  from  the  slavery  of  the 
world,  and  brought  together  into  the  liberty  of  the  Gospel. 
Did  it,  therefore,  consist  but  of  perfect  members,  it  were  re- 
moved beyond  all  influence  of  this  world  for  good  or  for  evil ; 
the  world  would  not  have  a  single  tie  or  hold  upon  them,  but 
all  being  free  in  the  spirit,  would  be  unassailable  by  any 
chance  or  change  affecting  the  flesh.  But  its  members  are 
all  in  different  stages  towards  perfection,  very  many  far  re- 
mote from  it.  They  are  still  liable,  therefore,  to  the  chains 
of  the  world,  and  the  whole,  as  a  body,  subject  to  temporal 
accidents.  The  world  reduces  men  into  its  slavery  either  by 
compulsion  or  by  seduction ;  that  is,  by  persecution  or  by 
temporal  prosperity.  These  two  modes  w^e  will  briefly  con- 
sider. No  son  of  man  can  be  so  disengaged  from  the  world 
as  not  severely  to  feel,  however  he  may  withstand,  the 
power  of  persecution.  Every  man  will  join  with  the  holy 
Zacharias  in  the  expression,  that  we,  being  delivered  out  of 


212  ON  THE   FORTUNES  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

the  hand  of  our  enemies,  might  serve  our  God  without  fear, 
in  holiness  and  righteousness  before  him,  all  the  days  of  our 
life.  For  at  such  a  time,  not  only  is  his  outer  man  afflicted 
by  constraint  put  upon  his  means  of  worship,  by  his  con- 
stancy being  every  moment  put  to  the  proof  by  the  threats  of 
the  sword  of  the  magistrate,  and  sometimes  tried  almost  to 
exhaustion  by  incessant  watchfulness  and  resistance;  but  his 
inward  man  is  grieved  for  the  honour  and  glory  of  God  be- 
fore men.  His  holy  church  is  shut  up  in  a  beleagured  city ; 
neither  her  armies  nor  ambassadors  can  go  forth ;  her  num- 
bers are  daily  thinned  by  apostacy,  her  provisions  are  run 
short  by  the  hindrance  given  to  the  word.  Help  us,  he  cries 
with  the  Psalmist,  O  God  of  our  salvation,  for  the  glory  of 
thy  name :  O  deliver  us,  and  be  merciful  unto  our  sins,  for 
thy  name's  sake.  Wherefore  do  the  heathen  say,  where  is 
now  their  God.  But  no  affliction,  however  severe,  can  be 
superior  to  the  comfort  which  the  church  can  administer,  for 
that  comfort  was  ordained  to  quell  the  very  head  of  all  afflic- 
tion, the  loss  of  bliss  and  innocence.  And  the  church  is  then 
peculiarly  in  her  vocation  when  her  consolation  is  most 
needed ;  then  all  her  treasures  are  opened  and  poured  forth, 
and,  as  worldly  sorrows  deepen,  her  spiritual  bounties  be- 
come more  prodigal,  their  measure  ever  keeping  far  in  advance 
of  the  quantity  of  affliction  which  called  them  forth ;  to  hun- 
ger, and  nakedness,  and  the  sword,  she  opposes  the  spiritual 
banquet  of  the  knowledge  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  robes 
of  righteousness  and  everlasting  glory,  the  life  without  end  in 
the  world  to  come.  These  glorious  promises,  which  seemed 
afar  off  amid  worldly  security  and  enjoyment,  are  now 
brought  close  to  the  suiferer's  eyes,  and  amid  the  most  fear- 
ful signs  he  may  look  up,  and  lift  up  his  head,  for  his  redemp- 
tion draweth  nigh. 

The  church  of  God  is  too  strong  for  the  world ;  ^he  is  ever 
one  and  the  same ;  her  members  are  united  by  an  unvarying, 
undying  principle,  which  is  faith  in  the  redemption  wrought 
in  Christ  Jesus.  But  worldly  society  is  never  in  one  stay,  it 
has  no  abiding  principle  to  keep  it  together,  day  by  day  it  is 
changing  manners,  morals,  and  institutions.  What  wonder, 
then,  if,  with  all  its  kingdoms,  and  principalities,  and  powers, 
it  has  been  compelled  to  desist  from  its  fierce  attacks ;  if  mo- 
narchies in  ancient  times,  and  republics  in  modern,  have  been 
unable  to  maintain  the  persecution  which  they  had  begun  : 
the  weakness  of  God  has  overcome  the  strength  of  man.     It 


ON  THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE   CHURCH.  213 

is  at  this  moment,  when  persecution  has  but  lately  ceased, 
that  the  visible  church  is  seen  in  all  its  beauty ;  the  storm, 
however  it  might  have  ruffled  her  leaves,  has  refreshed  her 
root,  her  main  trunk  shoots  its  branches  anew,  and  she  puts 
on  double  beauty  for  all  her  former  uncomeliness.  Her 
withered  leaves,  her  rotten  boughs,  have  been  carried  away 
by  the  violence  of  the  tempest.  Now  she  is  reaping  the  re- 
ward of  her  sufferings  ;  now  is  come  the  redemption  to  which 
she  looked  through  the  veil  of  her  afflictions.  But,  after  a 
brief  interval,  the  world  renews  its  attacks,  and  in  a  different 
manner ;  the  high  courage  which  she  has  shown,  the  splendid 
victory  which  she  has  gained,  the  stability  which  she  has  dis- 
closed, draw  the  admiring  gaze  of  men  upon  her,  and  gain 
attention  to  her  doctrines ;  generous  and  candid  minds  are 
won  over  to  her  faith,  every  day  she  extends  the  curtains  of 
her  tent.  But  now  that  all  is  peace,  now  that  she  and  the 
world  are  not  openly  and  bodily  at  issue,  the  worldlings  flock 
in,  and  with  them  the  thoughts,  the  affections,  and  the  pas- 
sions of  the  world.  The  world  now  seduces  her  members 
into  its  slavery ;  and  much  more  dangerous  is  this  mode  of 
its  attack,  inasmuch  as  the  apostates  which  it  makes  do  not 
go  out  from  the  church,  and  relieve  the  labouring  vessel  of  a 
heavy  and  useless  cargo,  as  in  time  of  persecution;  but  re- 
main within,  where  their  false  doctrine  eateth  as  doth  a 
canker:  hence  heresies,  seditions,  strife,  with  all  their  train 
of  evil ;  society,  civil  and  religious,  is  disturbed,  and  at 
length  broken  up  ;  calamity  regains  its  turn. 

If  we  look  at  the  state  of  the  church  throughout  the  civil- 
ized world,  we  cannot  but  be  persuaded  that  it  is  close  upon 
one  of  these  critical  alternations  ;  the  calm  and  smooth  water 
is  nearly  passed  through,  and  our  ears  can  now  distinctly  hear 
the  noise  of  the  waves,  and  ouy  eyes  discern  the  foam  of  the 
breakers ;  distress  of  nations  is  coming  on  with  perplexity, 
the  sea  and  the  waves  roaring  :  if  ever  there  was  a  time  which 
called  for  reflection  and  humiliation,  it  is  the  present.  These 
may,  immediately,  through  God's  acceptance  and  blessing, 
and  mediately  through  the  moral  effects,  which  by  the  laws 
of  his  governance  they  produce,  work  a  salutary  change,  and 
soften,  if  not  avert,  the  impending  chastisement.  Let  us, 
therefore,  take  a  brief  review  of  the  responsibility  under 
which  seasons  of  prosperity  lay  both  nations  and  individuals, 
as  component  parts  of  the  universal  church  of  God. 

One  of  the  most  grievous  mistakes  of  the  present  day,  and 
T  2 


214  ON  THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

one  which  assuredly  will  reap  tenfold  retribution,  is  the  sup- 
position that  it  is  unnecessary  for  a  nation  which  is  composed 
of  members  calling  themselves  Christians,  to  assume  a  posi- 
tive Christian  character :  that,  while  every  individual  is 
bound,  as  a  servant  of  Christ,  to  seek  in  all  things  the  pro- 
motion of  his  honour  and  glory,  yet  their  joint  and  concen- 
trated efforts,  which  are  the  acts  of  government  of  the  country, 
need  have  no  reference  whatever  to  this  result :  such  a  sup- 
position either  implies  a  contradiction,  or  something  much 
worse.  The  very  opposite  to  it  is  that  which  must  present 
itself  to  a  truly  Christian  mind.  A  nation  of  men  which  pro- 
fess Christ,  must  also  possess  Christ,  and  with  the  same  dis- 
tinctness ;  it  must  openly  show  the  sign  of  the  cross ;  and 
vain  are  all  its  counsels  which  are  not  directed  to  the  glory 
of  God  as  their  final  object :  the  course  of  the  affairs  of  this 
world  ever  has  and  ever  will  be  directed  by  God  towards  the 
coming  of  his  kingdom.  This  way  tends  the  great  stream  of 
earthly  events,  and  the  counsels  of  a  people,  which  follow 
this  direction,  can  have  no  obstacle :  they  will  be  borne 
steadily  along  to  a  successful  end.  But  such  as  go  not  with 
this  stream,  will  shortly  be  dashed  to  pieces  and  overwhelmed 
by  the  strength  of  the  current ;  the  former  will  bring  happi- 
ness and  honour,  and  the  latter  will  meet  with  defeat  and 
shame.  To  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness, is  no  less  the  duty  and  policy  of  the  nation  than  of  each 
of  its  citizens ;  and  demoralization,  with  its  certain  suc- 
cession of  intestine  commotion,  and  foreign  subjugation,  is 
sooner  or  later  the  certain  reward  of  every  people  which  ne- 
glects this  prime  commandment  of  our  Saviour. 

But  if  we  consider  a  nation  of  Christians  not  only  with 
reference  to  its  internal  polity,  and  external  communication 
with  other  nations  of  Christians,  but  also  with  reference  to 
the  heathen  nations  with  which  God's  providence,  preparing 
his  kingdom,  has  brought  it  into  contact,  great  indeed  is  its 
responsibility :  so  much  the  greater  still  on  account  of  the 
very  small  number  to  whom  he  has  granted  such  an  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  his  service :  a  number  so  small,  that  it  im- 
plies an  election  to  the  purpose,  an  ordination  to  the  office. 
That  nation  has  been  made  peculiarly  his  priesthood,  to 
preach  his  word  to  the  heathen ;  and  if  that  nation  be  at  the 
same  time  at  the  very  summit  of  prosperity  and  civilization, 
then  has  God  also  entrusted  to  it,  as  to  a  preacher  of  his 
Gospel,  powers  of  similar  eflicacy  to  that  of  miracles  which 


ON  THE   FORTUNES  OF  THE  CHURCH.  215 

he  shed  upon  his  early  preachers ',-  for  the  g-ift  of  workino- 
miracles  was  withdrawn,  was  in  fact  superseded,  as  soon  as 
the  church  became  a  compact  and  influential  body,  so  as  to 
force   its   principles  on  the  attention  of  the  heathen.     And 
when  Christianity  became  the  religion  of  the  civilized  world, 
so  effectual  a  substitute  was  this  civilization,  that  even  the 
conquering  barbarian  heathen  adopted  the  religion  of  the  con- 
quered Christian.     By  such  an  engine  were  all  the  modern 
nations  of  Europe  converted ;  shall  they  then  be  excused  if 
they  neglect  any  opportunity  of  doing  the  same  towards  their 
fellow  men,  who  still   lie  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death  1     The  engine  which  has  been  committed  to  the  hands 
of  our  nation  is  more  powerful  still  than  this.     For  we  ap- 
pear among'   the   heathen  as   conquerors.      We   have  been 
furnished  with  the  most  forcible  means  of  drawing  their  no- 
tice towards  the  Gospel  of  Christ.     And  if  we  take  proper 
means   to  show  them  that  to  that  Gospel  we  owe  our  su- 
periority;  if  the  Cross  of  Christ,  every  where  displayed, 
inscribed  on  our  banners,  waving  over  our  victorious  palaces, 
proclaim  that  great  is  the  Lord  God  of  England  ;  if  our  reli- 
gion be  seen  marching-  with  our  hosts,  like  the  tabernacle  of 
God,  among  our  captains,  and  not  our  camp  followers,  shining 
like  the  Urim  and  Thummim  on  the  breasts  of  our  counsellors 
and  rulers  ;  if  it  be  embodied  to  their  eyes  in  an  organized, 
publicly  acknowledged,  and  sufficiently  numerous  ministry, 
can  the  effects  be  calculated  1     Has  God  placed  such  means 
in  the  hands  of  any  nation  since  the  world  began  ]     The 
conquering   empires,    which   he  has   hitherto   employed  to 
further  his  kingdom  upon  earth,  have  been  brute  unconscious 
agents,  which  knew  no  more  of  him,  and  of  his  counsels,  than 
the  saw  or  the  axe  does  of  the  mind  of  him  that  handles  and 
employs  them.    But  our  nation  has  had  imparted  to  it  the  life  of 
the  Gospel, — has  had  revealed  to  it  his  gracious  purpose  of 
salvation,  his  will  that  the  Gospel  should  be  preached  to  every 
creature.     By  the  peculiar  position  in  which  he  has  placed 
it,  he  has  clearly  intimated  to  it  that  it  should  "  go  teach  all 
nations."     May  it  so  answer  the  call,  that  he  may  say  also, 
"  I  am  with  thee  to  the  end  of  the  world."     That  this  call 
has  not  been  answered  hitherto  in  any  degree  corresponding- 
to  its  pointedness,  to  its  urgency,  to  the  gifts  on  which  it 
presumes,  must  be  confessed  with  shame  and  confusion  of 
face ;  and  in  every  national  humiliation.     Hither  the  heart  of 
the  true  penitent  for  national  sins  will  turn,  and  find   the 


216  ON  THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

burthen  of  his  song  of  lamentation  :  here  he  will  find  his 
chief  cause  of  fearfulness  and  trembling.     For  he  will  reflect 
that  God  makes  the  adversity  of  nations  to  minister  to  his 
purposes,  no  less  than  their  prosperity.     The  temporal  loss 
of  Israel  was   the   spiritual  gain  of  the  world.      He  was 
broken  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel,  and  his  scattered  sons 
were  made   God's  preachers  among  the  heathen,  to  prepare 
the  way  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.     By  a  reverse  operation  God 
concentrated  the  barbarians  upon  the  falling  Roman  empire, 
and   thus   brought  them  within   the  sound  of  his   Gospel. 
Surely  this  is  a  most  awful  consideration  to  a  nation  so  pre- 
eminently gifted  by  God  for  doing  him  service,  as  ours  has 
been.     Surely  it  is  possible,  it  is  but  too  probable,  that  if  we 
have  neglected  to  yield  this  service  out  of  the  abundance  of 
our  prosperity,  then  he  will  wring  it  out  of  the  straight- 
ness  of  our  adversity:  if  we  have  refused  to  be  conscious 
agents,  then  he  will  turn  us  into  unconscious  tools  of  his 
purposes. 

To  all  this,  and  anxiety  with  regard  to  the  sentence  which 
God  may  pronounce  upon  his  nation,  the  individual  has  to 
add  the  fearful  sense  of  his  own  responsibility.     A  sincere 
feeling  of  humiliation,  a  true  knowledge  of  the  principles  of 
tlie  Gospel,  will  remind  the  best  of  men,  that,  sinner  as  he  is, 
he  must  have  contributed  a  share  to  the  national  sinfulness, 
on   which  fearful  visitation  seems  fast  descending.     Then, 
as  one  who  sees  his  own  sin,  not  only  in  himself,  but  con- 
fronting him  by  reflection  also  from  others,  he  begins  the 
work  of  examination  and  self-rebuke.     Then  it  is  that  a  dreary 
list  of  sins  of  omission  and  commission  is  presented  to  the 
perusal  of  his  mind.     He  then  sees  opportunities,  which  he, 
in  common  with  his  countrymen,  had  received,  and  in  com- 
mon  with    them   had   neglected.      Then  he  perceives  how 
different  might  have  been  the  face  presented  by  tlie  Church 
of  Christ,  had  all  employed  them.     And  then  it  is  that  the 
approaching  period  of  darkness  and  constraint  discovers  to 
him,  by  its  appalling  contrast,  how  inadequately  he  has  put 
to  account  the  hours  of  calm  and  leisure,  which  have  hitherto 
been  his  blessed  portion ;  how  much  opportunity  he  had  of 
preparing  his  spirit  for  the  conflict,  by  the  study  and  practice 
of  God's  word ;  of  weaning  affections,  which  must  now  be 
rudely  torn  from  the  breast ;  of  conquering,  step  by  step,  the 
stripling  power  of  the  world,  which  now,  grown  suddenly  to 
a  giant's  might,  demands  of  him  to  decide  the  struggle,  once 


ON   THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE  CHURCH.  217 

for  all,  at  one  combat.  All  these  reflections  rise  up  before  his 
mind,  and  accuse  him  before  the  throne  of  God  ;  and  mourn- 
fully he  remembers  his  Master's  warning  to  "  watch,  for  ye 
know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  Man 
cometh."  He  will  prostrate  himself  with  all  contrition  and 
confusion  of  face,  and  implore  forgiveness. '  There  is  none 
that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one,  will  be  the  confession  of  the 
true  penitent,  on  a  day  of  national  humiliation.  But  having 
thus  explored  his  heart,  and  opened  it  before  God,  he  will, 
with  God's  grace,  gird  up  his  loins,  put  on  the  whole  armour 
of  light,  and  prepare  to  meet  his  trial  with  a  fixed  resolution 
and  unperplexed  conscience.  And  then,  when  the  fearful 
signs  begin  to  take  place,  when  wars  and  commotions  shall 
be  heard,  when  nations  and  kingdoms  shall  be  shaken ; 
when  there  shall  be  distress  of  nations,  and  failing  of  men's 
hearts  for  fear ;  when  the  abomination  of  desolation  shall  be 
standing  in  the  holy  place, — he  will  look  up  and  lift  up  his 
head,  for  his  redemption  is  at  hand,  the  kingdom  of  God 
draweth  nigh.  Sorrow  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy 
cometh  in  the  morning.  The  storm  is  ushering  in  a  glorious 
day,  and  between  its  gusts  he  can  overhear  the  tinkling  of 
the  trowel  of  the  angelic  masons  rebuilding  the  walls  of  Je- 
rusalem. If  his  body  perish  in  the  storm,  then  hath  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  arrived  to  him  indeed ;  he  has  obtained 
his  everlasting  rest  and  citizenship  there.  If  it  survive,  then 
are  his  eyes  blessed  with  the  sight  of  the  purified  church  of 
God,  shining  like  gold  from  the  furnace.  The  vineyard  of 
the  Lord  lies  before  him,  expanded  in  more  than  its  former 
loveliness.  The  unsightly  and  noxious  w^eeds  have  been 
removed,  its  hedge  has  been  repaired,  its  wine-press,  its 
lake,  and  tutelary  shed,  have  been  replaced  anew.  Therefore, 
whichever  lot  betide  him,  he  will  look  up,  lift  up  his  head, 
for  his  redemption  draweth  nigh. 


THE   END. 


VALUABLE    WORKS 

PUBLISHED  BY 

KEir    AND    BIDDLE 

23  MINOR  STREET. 


AN  ADDRESS  TO  THE  YOUNG,  ON  THE  IM- 
PORTANCE OF  RELIGION.  By  John  Foster,  author 
of  "Essays  on  Decision  of  Character,"  &c. 

This  is  a  good  publication,  well  conceived  and  admirably  exe- 
cuted, full  of  important  ti-uths  and  beautifully  enforced. 

Oui*  readers  know,  or  ought  to  know,  John  Foster,  the  Author  of 
"Essays  on  Decision  of  Character,"  one  of  the  best  writers  that 
England  has  produced;  suited  to  be  compared  in  many  tilings  with 
Robert  Hall,  he  needs  no  higher  praise. — U.  S.  Gazette. 

This  work  comprises  a  series  of  eloquent  and  affectionate  exhor- 
tations, which,  if  carefully  attended  to,  will  make  wise  and  good  men 
of  all  who  lay  them  to  heart,  and  endeavour  to  accord  with  them  in 
life  and  conversation.  The  author  has  acquired  great  celebrity  by 
his  former  writings. — Saturday  Courier. 

We  are  not  going  to  hold  a  rush-light  up  to  a  book  of  John  Fos- 
ter's, but  only  mean  to  tell  what  is  its  intent.  It  is  an  awakening 
appeal  to  youth  of  the  refined  and  educated  sort,  upon  the  subject  of 
their  personal  religion.     There  can  be  uo  doubt  as  to  its  cun*ency.— 

Tlie  Presbyterian. 

John  Foster  is  allowed  by  men  of  all  parties,  political  and  reli- 
gious, to  be  one  of  the  most  original  and  vigorous  thinkers  of  the 
age.  His  well  tried  talents,  his  known  freedom  from  cant  and 
fanaticism,  and  the  importance  of  the  subject  discussed,  strongly 
commend  this  book  to  the  attention  of  that  interesting  class  to  M^hom 
it  is  addressed.  All  his  writings  are  worthy  of  careful  and  repeated 
perusal ;  but  his  essay  on  "Decision  of  Character"  and  this  "Ad- 
dress to  tVie  Young,"  should  be  the  companions  of  all  young  persons 
who  are  desirous  of  intellectual  and  moral  improvement. 


2  VALUABLE  WORKS 

A  MOTHER'S  FIRST  THOUGHTS.  By  the  author 
of  "Faith's  Telescope." 

This  is  a  brief  miniature,  from  an  Edinbvu-gh  edition.  Its  aim  is 
to  furnish  religious  Meditations,  Prayers,  and  Devotional  Poetry 
for  pioiis  mothers.  It  is  most  highly  commended  in  tl^;  Edinburgh 
Presbyterian  Review,  and  in  the  Christian  Advocate.  The  author, 
who  is  a  Lady  of  Scotland,  unites  a  deep  knoM  ledge  of  sound  theo- 
logy, -with  no  ordinary  talent  for  sacred  poetry. — The  Presbyterian. 

"A  Mother's  First  Thoughts,"  is  a  little  work  of  great  merit. 
It  breathes  a  spirit  of  pm-e  and  fervent  piety,  and  abounds  in  sound 
and  salutary  instruction.  It  contains  also  some  excellent  poetry. — 
Saturday  Cotirier. 

A  Mother's  First  Thoughts.  By  the  author  of  "Faith's  Tele- 
scope," 12mo.  pp.  223.  Key  &  Biddle,  Philadelphia,  1833.  A 
neat  pocket  edition,  which  will  commend  itself  to  all  parents  who 
liave  the  i-ight  dii-ection  of  the  minds  of  their  children  at  heart.  It 
is  dedicated  to  religious  motliers,  "and  may  He,"  says  the  author, 
"who  alone  can,  render,  it  in  some  degree,  conducive  to  tlieir  edifi- 
cation."— Jowvial  of  Belles  Lettres. 

EXAMPLE ;  OR  FAMILY  SCENES.— This  is  one  of  those 
useful  and  truly  moral  publications  which  cannot  fail  to  be  read 
with  delight  by  the  youth  of  both  sexes,  who,  as  their  hearts  expand, 
and  they  advance  in  years,  have  need  of  some  instructor  to  point  out 
the  path  they  should  follow  for  their  future  happiness.  The  author 
has  been  triumphantly  successful  in  attaining  these  laudable  objects 
in  this  interesting  pviblication. — Weekly  Times. 

The  form  of  a  domestic  story  is  here  judiciously  selected  for  im- 
parting a  purity  of  religious  feeling  to  juvenile  readers ;  and  the 
purpose  as  fully  answered.  Adults  may  also  read  this  interesting 
volume  with  much  benefit. —  Umted  Kingdom. 

A  HARMONY  OF  THE  FOUR  GOSPELS.  Founded 
on  the  Arrangement  of  the  Harmonia  Evangelica,  by  the 
Rev.  Edward  Greswell.  With  the  Practical  Reflections  of 
Dr.  Doddridge.  Designed  for  the  use  of  Families  and  Schools, 
and  f(yr  Private  Edification.  By  the  Rev.  E.  Bickersteth, 
Rector  of  Wolton,  Herts. 

A  beautiful  duodecimo  of  ^bout  four  hundred  pages  :  and  one  of 
the  best  books  which  has  appeared  for  many  years,  with  respect  to 
personal  and  domestic  edification.  It  is  next  to  impossible  to  read 
the  ordinary  Harmonies.  The  current  of  the  narrative  is  broken 
by  constant  interruptions.  In  tJds,  we  have  in  convenient  sections, 
.  the  fom'  Gospel  histories,  made  up  into  one,  in  proper  order,  in  the 


PUBLISHED  BY  KEY  AND  BIDDLE.  3 

words  of  the  common  English  translation.  The  devotional  notes  of 
Doddridge  are  better  than  any  we  haxe  seen  for  reading  in  the  clo- 
set or  at  family  worship.  The  name  of  Jiickersteth,  prefixed  to  a 
book,  is  enough  to  show  that  it  is  written  simply  to  serve  the  cause 
of  Christ. — The  Presbytenan. 

Messrs.  Key  &;  Biddle  of  this  city  have  published  a  beautiful 
edition  of  a  popular  Harmony  of  the  Four  Gospels.  A  book  giving 
a  connected  and  chronological  view  of  the  History  of  our  Savioiu-, 
without  an  array  of  critical  apparatus  A^hich  is  useless  and  repulsive 
to  the  common  reader,  has  long  been  a  desideratum  in  our  i^eligious 
literature.  It  is  now  supplied  by  the  labours  of  Mr.  Bickersteth, 
who  is  well  known  as  an  able,  judicious  and  pious  writer.  Each 
section  of  the  text  is  followed  by  brief  practical  reflections,  from 
the  pen  of  Dr.  Doddridge.  The  volume  is  well  adapted  to  the 
purposes  for  which  it  was  designed  by  the  author. — "The  use  of 
families  and  schools,  and  for  private  edification. " — Phil.  Gaz. 

The  religious  communit}'  will  take  delight  in  reading  a  work  just 
published,  entitled  "A  Harmony  of  the  Four  Gospels."  Scarcely 
any  thing  has  so  much  puzzled  a  certain  order  of  minds,  as  the  appa- 
rent disagreement  of  parts  of  the  New  Testament.  Nothing  so 
much  weakens  Christian  faith  as  an  impression  of  this  soi't^whilst 
nothing  tends  more  directly  to  confirm  and  strengthen  it,  than  evi- 
dence of  the  entire  oneness  and  harmony  of  the  Gospels. —  Com. 
Herald. 

THE  HAPPINESS  OF  THE  BLESSED,  considered 
as  to  the  particulars  of  their  state  ;  their  recognition  of  each 
other  in  that  state ;  and  its  difference  of  degrees.  To  which 
are  added,  Musings  on  the  Church  and  her  Services.  By- 
Richard  Mant,  D.D.,  M.R.I.A.,  Lord  Bishop  of  Down  and 
Conner. 

The  design  of  the  Rev.  author  in  tliis  production,  is  to  adduce 
from  scriptiu-al  authority,  the  most  satisfactory  evidence  of  the 
happiness  and  joy  of  those  who  by  faith  follow  Christ,  and  who  in 
the  exercise  of  those  virtues  required  by  the  Gospel,  are  emphati- 
cally denominated  the  children  of  God.  The  author  has  touched 
upon  several  topics  connected  with  the  subject,  which  must  afford 
much  consolation  to  the  Christian,  who,  from  the  very  nature  of  his 
organization,  is  liable  to  doubts  and  fearful  forebodings  as  to  the 
state  of  his  heart  and  the  grounds  of  his  faitli. 

Christian  hope,  confidence,  and  charity,  are  stamped  upon  every 
page,  and  the  writer  deserves  avcII  of  the  Christian  inquirer,  for  tlie 
industry  which  he  has  displayed  in  collecting  andam-anging  so  many 
impoi'tant  and  valuable  arguments  in  favour  of  the  glorious  and 
resplendent  state  of  the  faithful  and  humble  disciple  of  Jesus. 

In  this  world,  mankind  have  need  of  consblation — of  the  cup  of 
sorrow  -all  must  drink — 'happiness  is  a  phantom,  a  meteor,  beautiful 


4  VALUABLE   WORKS 

and  bright,  always  alluring  us  by  its  glow — ^forever  within  om* 
reach,  but  eternally  eluding  o\w  grasp — ^but  this  state  of  things  was 
designed  by  our  Creator  for  our  benefit — it  was  intended  to  with- 
draw our  affections  froni  the  shadowy  and  unsubstantial  pleasures 
of  the  world,  to  the  Father  of  all  in  Heaven,  and  to  prepare  by  dis- 
cipline and  zeal,  for  a  state,  beyond  the  grave,  of  felicit}-,  which 
eye  hath  not  seen,  ear  hath  not  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  of.  To  oiu*  readers  we  cheerfully 
commend  this  delightful  volume,  confident  that  by  its  perusal  the 
faith  of  the  doubtful  will  be  confirmed,  and  the  anticipative  hope  of 
the  confident  increased. — 'Chnstiaii's  JVLagazine. 

We  take  tlie  earliest  opportunit)^  of  introducing  to  our  readers 
this  excellent  little  book,  to  which  the  deeply  interesting  nature  of 
the  subject  and  the  well-earned  reputation  of  the  Right  Rev.  author 
■will  seciu'e  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  attention.  The  Aast  im- 
portance of  the  topics  herein  treated,  and  the  valuable  practical 
effects  they  may  assist  in  producing,  induce  us  to  call  thus  early  the 
public  attention  to  a  work,  small  indeed  in  size,  but  which  is  calcu- 
lated not  a  little  to  inform  all  candid  and  serious  inquirers  into  a 
subject  hitlierto  iuA'olved  in  much  obscurity,  but  not  a  little  elucida- 
ted by  the  present  author. — Ge?itleman's  J\Iagazine. 

All  which  are  entitled  to  much  commendation,  as  tending  to 
familiarize  the  young  student  with  the  exact  phi-aseology  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  calculated  to  recall  it,  in  an  agreeable  way,  to 
the  memory  of  the  more  advanced  scholar.^ — Lit.  Gazette. 

It  possesses  much  substantive  merit,  and  is  the  best  Key  to 
Chi'onology  of  the  Gospel  History  we  have  met  with. — Athe?i3sum. 

We  have  looked  over,  Avith  great'pleasure,  a  neat  little  A'olume  of 
188  pages,  just  published  by  Key  &  Biddle,  of  this  city,  bearing 
the  title  of  "The  Happiness  of  the  Blessed."  It  is  divided  into 
four  chapters,  and  these  chapters  into  sections — each  section  being 
confined  to  the  particular  subject  designated  in  it.  We  are  much 
pleased  with  the  entire  work — but  more  particularly  Avith  the  dis- 
cussion on  the  probability  of  the  blessed  recognizing  each  other  in 
the  heavenly  wo-rld.  Cowper,  the  poet,  we  remember,  reasons  in  a 
couple  of  his  letters  most  delightfully  on  the  subject. 

We  cordially  recommend  this  little  work.  Bishop  Mant,  the 
author,  has  opened  a  spring  in  it,  whence  pure  and  wholesome 
waters  will  long  flow,  to  refresh  and  benefit  tJie  world.  —  Commer- 
cial Herald. 

The  Happiness  of  the  Blessed,  by  Dr.  Mant,  Bishop  of  Down  and 
Connor.  Published  by  Key  &  Biddle.  This  woi-k  is  got  up  with 
the  usual  elegance  of  those  enterprising  publishers.  It  is  a  work  of 
considerable  metaphysical  research  ;  is  written  in  a  style  of  anima- 
ted piet}' ;  and  whether  to  the  professing  Christian  or  the  general 
reader,  will  readily  repay  a  pei-usal. — Daily  Chronicle. 

LIFE  OF  WILLIAM  COWPER,  Esq.  Compiled  from 
his  correspondence  and  other  authenticated  sources  of  infor- 


PUBLISHED  BY  KEY  AND  BIDDLE.  O 

mation,  containing-  remarks  on  his  writing-s,  and  on  the  pecu- 
liarities of  his  interesting  character,  never  before  published. 
By  Thomas  Taylor. 

Extract  from  the  Preface. 

Many  Lives  of  Cowpex'liave  ah-eady  been  published.  Why  tlien, 
it  may  be  asked,  add  to  their  number  ?  Simply  because  in  the 
opinion  of  competent  judges,  no  memoir  of  him  bas  yet  appeared 
tbat  gives  a  full,  fair,  and  unbiassed  view  of  his  cliaracter. 

It  is  remarked  by  Dr.  Johnson,  the  poet's  kinsman,  in  liis  preface 
to  the  two  volumes  of  Co  wper's  Private  Correspondence,  "that  Mr. 
Haley  omitted  the  insertion  of  several  interesting  letters  in  his  excel- 
lent Life  of  the  poet,  out  of  kindness  to  his  readers. "  In  doing  this, 
however  amiable  and  considerate  as  his  caution  must  appear,  the 
gloominess  which  he  has  taken  from  the  mind  of  Cowper,  has  the 
effect  of  involving  his  character  in  obscurit}'. 

In  alluding  to  these  suppi-essed  letters,  the  late  highly  esteemed 
Leigh  Richmond  once  emphatically  remarked — "  Cowper's  chai-ac- 
ter  will  never  be  clearly  and  satisfactorily  understood  without  them, 
and  should  be  permitted  to  exist  for  the  demonstration  of  the  case. 
I  know  the  importance  of  it  from  numerous  conversations  I  have 
had,  both  in  England  and  Scotland,  on  this  subject.  Persons  of 
truly  religious  principles,  as  well  as  those  of  little  or  no  I'ellgion  at 
all,  have  greatly  erred  in  their  estimate  of  this  great  and  good 
man. " 

In  this  work  all  that  is  necessary  and  much  that  is  painful  to 
know,  is  told  of  Cowper,  and  well  told  too. — His  life  was  much 
wanted,  and  we  have  no  doubt  that  it  will  be  universally  read,  and 
become,  like  the  poems  of  tlie  man  it  commemorates,  a  standard 
work.  Mr.  Taylor  has  our  heart}^  thanks  for  having  produced  this 
work,  and  our  commendations  no  less  hearty  for  having  produced  it 
so  well. — JMetropolitan. 

A  beautiful  American  edition  from  the  press  of  Key  &  Biddle 
has  just  been  published,  and  cannot  fail  to  meet  with  a  welcome 
reception  from  all  who  admire  that  best  of  men  and  most  agreeable 
of  poets.  It  is  the  most  complete  and  valuable  edition  of  the  Life 
of  Cowper  extant,  and  contains  a  well  executed  portrait. — Poidsoii's 
Daily  Advertiser. 

Taylor's  Life  of  Cowper  has  several  private  letters  of  the  poet 
not  found  in  other  works,  which  sei-ve  to  correct  many  false  im- 
pressions relative  to  his  mental  aberration.  It  is  due  the  cause  of 
humanity  and  of  justice  generally,  that  the  truth  shovild  be  received  ; 
especially  Avhen,  by  affecting  the  character  of  so  great  a  man  as 
Cowper,  it  in  a  great  measui-e  touches  the  whole  of  the  human  kind. 
—  CT".  S.  Gazette. 

The  biography  of  this  amiable,  but  eccentric  individual,  abounds 
with  circumstances  of  the  deepest  interest.  The  morbid  sensibility 
of  his  nature — tlie  strong  depression  of  spirits  to  which  he  Avas  con- 


6  VALUABLE  WORKS 

tinually  subject — ^the  cheerless  anticipation  of  gloom  and  misery, 
which  embittered  almost  a  whole  existence — conti'asted  with  the 
hearty  and  (in  some  instances)  exquisitely  pleasant  tenor  of  his  wri- 
tings— afford  fruitful  topics  for  speculation.  CoM^ier  was  emi- 
nently unhappy.  Even  while  surrounded  by  every  thing  that  covild 
make  life  desirable — an  ample  competency  ;  troops  of  devoted 
friends,  vieing  with  each  other  in  acts  of  kindness  ;  having,  more- 
over, a  grasping,  and  comprehensive,  and  well  cultivated  intellect — 
he  was  miserable  and  wretched,  but  he  never  suffered  his  infirmities 
to  destroy  the  natural  good  feelings  of  his  bosom.  This  biography 
is  interesting,  not  merely  on  account  of  tlie  clear  view  of  Cowper's 
character,  which  it  exhibits,  but  also  because  it  contains  voluminous 
extracts  from  his  correspondence,  many  of  which  are  now  pub- 
lished for  the  first  time.  Cowper's  letters,  besides  the  spirit  of 
fei'vent  Christianity  which  every  where  pervades  them,  are  models 
of  epistolary  correspondence.  Interspersed  throughout  the  volume, 
are  several  fragments  of  poetry,  not  printed  in  any  collection  of  his 
works,  some  ot  which  are  well  Avorthy  the  author  of  "  The  Task," 
and  the  "  Translation  of  Homer."  The  work  now  offered  is  neatly 
bound,  and  sold  at  a  low  rate. — Saturday  Courier. 

A  comprehensive  and  perspicuous  memoir  of  Cowper  has  been 
much  wanted,  and  will  be  read  with  gratification  by  the  admirers  of 
this  amiable  and  pious  man,  whose  accomplishments,  excellencies 
and  peculiarit}'  of  character,  have  rendered  him  an  object  of  interest 
to  the  world.  We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Taylor  for  his  excellent 
work,  and  for  the  happy  manner  in  Avhich  it  has  been  accomplished. 
— Boston  Traveller. 

Thirtj'  years  nearly  have  passed  since  we  first  read  with  great 
delight ' Mayley's  Life  of  Cowper,  and  we  have  never  cast  our  eyes 
on  the  volumes  since,  without  wishing  to  unravel  a  few  things  in  the 
poet's  history  which  were  then  left  in  mystery.  Taylor  professes 
to  deal  openly  and  remove  all  concealment.  In  one  beautiful  vol- 
ume, he  has  given  us  the  substance  of  all  which  is  known  concerning 
the  most  sensible  and  pious  of  all  the  English  poets  ;  whose  wri- 
tings will  be  regarded  as  the  best  of  their  kind,  wherever  the  English 
language  shall  be  read.  In  all  his  numerous  works  he  has  no  line 
of  measured  gingle  Avithout  sense.  Can  this  be  said  of  scarcely  any 
other  child  of  the  muses  ?  Those  Avho  have  Hayley's  tAvo  volumes 
Avill  be  thankful  for  the  labours  of  Taylor  5  and  those  Avho  have 
neither  should  purchase  this  new  compilation  Avithout  delay.  It  is 
a  Avork  Avhich  Avill  be  found  '  interesting  to  all  classes,  especially  to 
the  lovers  of  literature  and  genuine  piet}"",  and  to  place  within  the 
reach  of  general  readers,  many  of  Avhom  haAe  neither  the  means 
nor  the  leisure  to  consult  larger  Avorks,  all  that  is  really  interesting 
respecting  that  singularly  afflicted  individual,  Avhose  productions, 
both  poetic  and  prose,  can  neAer  be  read  but  Avith  delight. — Tlie 
Pldladelphian . 

Messrs.  Key  &  Biddle  deserA-e  credit  for  placing  Avithin  the 
reach  of  all,  in  so  cheap  and  conAenient  a  form,  Avhat  must  be  salu- 
tary in  every  instance  in  its  general  eftect.     The  character,  pursuits, 


PUBLISHED  BY  KEY  AND  BIDDLE.  7 

performances,  and  sufferings  of  Cowper,  combine  more  interest 
than  belongs  to  the  life  of  any  of  the  great  English  authors  Avho 
spent  any  considerable  part  of  tlieir  days  in  retirement. — 'JVational 
Gazette. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  NATURE  AND  REVELA- 
TION TO  THE  BEING,  PERFECTIONS  AND  GOV- 
ERNMENT OF  GOD.  By  the  Rev.  Henry  Fergus, 
Dunfermline,  Author  of  the  History  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  till  the  termination  of  the  War  of  Independence,  in 
Lardner's  Cyclopedia. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Fergus's  Testimony  of  Nature  and  Revelation  to 
the  Being,  perfection  and  Government  of  God,  is  an  attempt  to  do 
in  one  volmne  Avhat  the  Bridgwater  Treatises  are  to  do  in  eight. 
We  wish  one-eighth  of  the  reAvard  may  make  its  way  to  Dunferm- 
line. Mr.  Fergus's  Treatise  goes  over  tlie  whole  ground  with 
fervoiu'  and  ability  ;  it  is  an  excellent  volume,  and  may  be  had  for 
somewjiere  about  half  the  price  of  one  Bridgwater  octA\o.'— London 
Spectator. 

A  work  of  great  research  and  gi'cat  talent. — EvangelicalJWxga- 
zine. 

A  very  seasonable  and  valuable  work.  Its  philosophy  is  unim- 
peachable and  its  theology  pure  and  elevated.— JVety  Jllbnthly  j\fag. 

This  is  an  elegant  and  enlightened  work,  of  a  pious  and  highly 
gifted  man. — JMeiropoliian  Jifagazme. 

This  excellent  work  contains,  in  a  brief  space,  all  that  is  likely 
to  be  useful  in  the  Bridgwater  Treatises,  and  displays  infinitely 
more  of  original  thought  and  patient  research,  than  the  two  volumes 
which  have  been  recently  published  by  the  managers  of  his  lord- 
ship's legacy.  We  have  never  seen  any  work  in  which  the  necessity 
of  a  revelation  Avas  more  cleai'ly  demonstrated,  Avhilc  at  the  same 
time  its  due  importance  Avas  assigned  to  natural  religion. 

We  Iwpe  that  the  Avork  Avill  be  extensively  used  in  the  education 
of  youth  ;  it  is  admirably  calculated  to  stimulate  students  to  scien- 
tific research,  and  the  obserAations  of  nature  ;  it  suggests  subjects  of 
contemplation,  by  AA'hich  the  mind  must  be  both  delighted  and 
instructed  ;  and,  finally,  it  teaches  the  most  sublin^e  of  all  lessons, 
admiration  of  the  poAver,  delight  in  the  wisdom,  and  gratitude  for 
the  love  of  our  Creator. — .Athemeimi. 

FOX'S  BOOK  OF  MARTYRS.  A  Universal  History 
of  Christian  Martyrdom,  from  the  Birth  of  our  Blessed  Saviour 
to  the  latest  Periods  of  Persecution.  Originally  composed 
by  the  Rev.  John  Fox,  A.  M.,  and  now  corrected  throughout; 
with  copious  and  important  additions  relative  to  the  Recent 
u2 


8  VALUABLE  WORKS 

Persecutions  in  the  south  of  France.  In  2  vols.  8vo.,  beau- 
tifully printed  on  fine  and  remarkably  strong  paper.  Being 
the  only  complete  and  unmutilated  edition  of  this  work  ever 
presented  to  the  American  Public.  Embellished  with  a 
Portrait  of  the  venerable  Fox,  and  Sixty  Engravings  illus- 
trative of  the  suffering  Martyrs  in  all  ages  of  the  world. 

"We  commend  the  enterprise  of  the  publishers,  which  has 
induced  them  to  incur  the  hea^'y  expense  requisite  for  the  produc- 
tion of  this  costly  and  elegant  book.  They  have  thereby  rendered 
a  service  to  the  cause  of  true  Christianity' ;  and  we  cannot  doubt  that 
they  will  meet  with  ample  remuneration  in  the  approbation  of  the 
public.  An  additional  recommendation  is  furnished  in  the  extreme 
lowness  of  the  price,  thereby  rendering  the  book  accessible  to  the 
pocket  of  every  class  of  Christians.  It  is  a  work  of  intense  interest; 
and  Avhether  as  a  volume  of  Ecclesiastical  History,  or  for  occasional 
perusal,  richly  merits  a  place  on  tlie  shelves  of  every  family 
library. " —  Chnstian  Advocate. 

GUY  ON  ASTRONOMY,  AND  AN  ABRIDGE- 
MENT OF  KEITH  ON  THE  GLOBES,  2  volumes  in 
1,  18mo. 

A  school  book  of  this  soi't  has  long  been  a  desideratum  in  our 
seminaries.  It  comprises  a  popular  Treatise  on  Astronomy ; 
together  with  the  admirably  clear  definitions,  and  nearly  all  the 
problems  of  Keith.  The  whole  is  contained  in  a  neat  volume,  and 
afforded  at  a  very  low  price.  The  publishers  would  particularly 
call  the  attention  of  parents  and  teachers  to  the  above  work. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  In  1  vol. 
12mo.  By  Thomas  Hughs.  Embellished  with  a  great 
number  of  beautiful  wood-cut_s. 

The  publishers  announce  this  woi'k  with  the  highest  feelings  of 
satisfaction.  The  three  objects  they  have  had  in  view  are  cheapness, 
beaut)'  of  embellishment,  and  novelty  of  matter,  combined  Avith  ac- 
curacy of  research.  The  name  of  the  author  (who  is  already 
favoiu'ably  known  by  several  previous  Avorks  for  schools)  is  a  suffi- 
cient guai'antee  of  the  manner  in  which  this  book  will  be  executed. 
It  Avill  not  be  uninteresting  to  state  that  the  sources  from  which 
some  of  the  materials  of  this  school  book  are  derived,  are  inacces- 
sible to  any  except  the  present  writer ;  whose  business  it  has  also 
been  to  attempt  the  attainment  of  that  which  has  hitherto  been  over- 
looked, as  of  no  importance,  viz :  elegance  of  style,  Avhich  may  in- 
terest at  the  same  time  that  it  will  aid  in  forming  the  taste  of  the 
youtliful  reacler. 


PUBLISHED  BY  KEY  AND  BIDDLE.  9 

PHILOSOPHY  OF  A  FUTURE  STATE. 

PHILOSOPHY  OF  RELIGION. 

CHRISTIAN  PHILOSOPHER.     By  Thomas  Dick. 

Philadelphia,  Key  &  Biddle. 

Ix  the  first  of  the  works  whose  titles  head  this  article,  Mr.  Dick 
has  endeavoured  to  prove,  that  man  is  an  immortal  being.  His  ar- 
guments are  drawn  from  various  sources,  and  he  has  judiciously 
availed  himself  of  the  recent  discoveries  in  science,  in  illustrating 
the  connexion  of  intellectual  improvement,  witli  the  state  of  futm-e 
existence. 

Mr.  Dick  has  displayed  in  this  work,  considerable  extent  of 
knowledge,  and  the  industiy  manifested  in  collecting  and  arranging 
his  numerous  and  diversified  materials,  will  meet  with  tlie  decided 
approbation  of  e\QVj  intelligent  Christian. 

The  Philosophy  of  Religion  is  a  production  of  no  less  value  tlian 
the  preceding,  it  is  an  attempt  by  tlie  pious  and  indefatigable  author, 
to  illustrate  the  moral  being  of  the  universe,  and  to  delineate  the 
obligations  of  man  to  God — to  show  how  reasonable  and  excellent 
the  precepts  of  revealed  i^eligion  are,  and  how  well  they  are  adapted 
to  the  condition  of  man,  how  certainly  their  practical  adoption  is 
productive  of  peace  and  joy,  and  how  bright  under  all  circumstances 
are  the  hopes,  and  soothing  the  consolations  of  the  Christian.  It  is 
an  excellent  book,  and  may  be  read  Avith  advantage,  by  all  sects  of 
Christians. 

The  Christian  Philosopher,  which  next  claims  our  attention,  is  to 
the  philosophic  inquirer  more  interesting  than  either  of  the  preced- 
ing two.  It  is  a  scientific  investigation  into  the  existence  a«d  attri- 
butes of  a  great  Jirst  cause,  and  the  author  has  evidently  come  to 
his  subject  well  prepared,  securely  assured,  and  ready  to  give  a 
I'easonable  answer  to  the  sceptical  questioner  for  the  hope  tliat  is 
within  him.  The  author  has  successfully  combatted  the  ridiculous 
ideas  of  those  zealous  but  ignorant  Christians  who  reject  all  hiunan 
knowledge  as  vain  and  useless.  He  has  shown  that  the  study  and 
contemplation  of  the  laws  of  the  natural  world,  elevate  the  mind 
in  its  conceptions  of  the  power,  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God,  and 
that  every  advance  in  knowledge,  every  discovery  in  science,  tends 
to  confirm  our  faith,  exalt  our  views  and  refine  our  dispositions,  and 
thus  improve  us  in  moral  and  religious  feelings  and  principles. 

Mr.  Dick  very  justly  observes  that  "the  man  who  would  discard 
the  efforts  of  the  human  intellect,  and  the  science  of  Nature  from 
Religion,  forgets — that  He  who  is  the  author  of  human  redemption 
is  also  the  Creator  and  governor  of  tlie  whole  system  of  the  material 
universe — that  it  is  one  end  of  tliat  moral  renovation  which  the 
Gospel  effects,  to  qualify  us  for  contemplating  aright  tlie  displays  of 
Divine  Perfection  which  the  works  of  creation  exhibit — that  the 
visible  works  of  God  are  the  principal  medium  by  which  he  dis- 
plaj^s  the  attributes  of  this  nature  to  intelligent  beings — that  the 
study  and  contemplation  of  these  works  employ  the  faculties  of  intel- 


10  VALUABLE  WORKS 

ligences  of  a  siiperior  ordei- — ^tliat  man,  had  he  remained  in  primeval 
innocence,  would  have  been  chiefly  employed  in  such  contempla- 
tions— that  it  is  one  main  design  of  divine  revelation  to  illustrate  tlie 
operations  of  Providence,  and  the  agency  of  God  in  the  formation 
and  preservation  of  all  things — and  that  the  scriptures  are  full  of 
sublime  descriptions  of  the  visible  creation,  and  of  interesting  re- 
ferences to  the  various  objects  which  adorn  the  scenery  of  nature. 
In  these  opinions  Ave  entirely  concur,  and  we  are  certain  that  every 
believer  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  will  have  his  sovil  expanded,  his 
energies  awakened,  and  all  his  faculties  and  powers  enlarged  by  in- 
vestigating the  laws  of  the  Universe.  God  is  every  whei-e?  we  per- 
ceive his  wisdom  in  the  organization  of  a  man,  and  a  tree  5  every 
animal  on  earth,  all  objects  in  nature,  organized  or  unorganized, 
exhibit  the  power,  the  skill,  and  the  benevolence  of  the  Creator. 

Mr.  Dick's  book  contains  many  important  facts  in  relation  to  the 
laws  of  matter  and  motion,  illustrated  by  familiar  expositions,  and 
well  adapted  to  the  comprehension  of  the  general  reader.  We  have 
rarely  perused  a  work  with  more  pleasure  and  profit,  and  we  are 
confident  that  it  will  prove  a  valuable  and  iiseful  addition  to  evei-y 
family  library.  To  the  young  divine  just  commencing  his  ministe- 
rial labours,' it  will  be  of  much  benefit;  it  will  supply  him  Avith 
topics  for  exemplification,  upon  Avhich  he  can  expatiate  Avith  the 
fervour  and  eloquence  of  genius,  and  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  finer, 
but  rational  and  ardent  Christian. 

In  dismissing  these  productions  of  Mr.  Dick,  we  cordially  com- 
mend them  to  the  attention  of  our  readers. 

LETTERS  TO  AN  ANXIOUS  INQUIRER,  DE- 
SIGNED TO  RELIEVE  THE  DIFFICULTIES  OF 
A  FRIEND  UNDER  SERIOUS  IMPRESSIONS.  By 
T.  Carlton  Henry,  D.D.,  late  Pastor  of  the  Second  Pres- 
bj'terian  Church,  Charleston,  S.  C.  With  an  introductory 
Essay,  (in  which  is  presented  Dr.  Henry's  Preface  to  his 
Letters,  and  his  Life,  by  a  friend.)  By  G.  T.  Bedell,  D.  D. 
Rector  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Philadelphia. 

It  is  an  important  A'olume,  and  is  an  indispensable  auxiliary  to  a 
proper  contemplation  of  the  most  impoi-tant  of  all  subjects.  The 
■work  contains  a  A^ery  judicious  introductory  essay,  from  the  pen  of 
the  liev.  G.  T.  Beddl,  rector  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  inthiscit}^ 
■ — Sat.  Evening-  Post. 

In  a  revival  of  religion  among  his  own  people,  Dr.  Bedell  found 
this  Avork  useful,  and  Avas  led  to  seek  its  republication  in  a  cheap  and 
neat  form,  for  the  adA'antage  of  those  Avho  cannot  afford  to  pur- 
chase costly  volumes.  We  hope  the  Avork  may  prove  a  blessing  to 
all  Avho  shall  read  it. — The  Philadelphian. 

These  letters  have  been  for  many  years  highly  A'alued  for  the 
pi-actical  and  appropriate  instruction  for  Avhich  they  are  principally 
designed. — The  Presbyterian. 


PUBLISHED  BY  KEY  AND  BIDDLE.  11 

BRIDGE'S    ALGEBRA,    12mo.       In    this    work    the 

hitherto  abstract  and  difficult  science  of  Algebra  is  simplified 

and  illustrated  so  as  to  be  attainable  by  the  younger  class  of 

learners,  and  by  those  who  have  not  the  aid  of  a  teacher.     It 

is  already  introduced  into  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  at 

Philadelphia,  and    the  Western   University  at   Pittsburgh. 

It  is  also  the  text  book  of  Gummere's  School  at  Burlington, 

and  of  a  great  number  of  the  best  schools  throughout  the 

United  States.     It  is  equally  adapted  to  common  schools  and 

colleges. 

Messrs.  Ket  &  Biddle  have  published,  in  a  very  neat  form,  tlie 
1st  American,  from  tlie  6th  London  Edition  of  Bridge's  Algebra  ;  a 
treatise,  which,  from  a  cursory  examination,  we  think  superior  to 
any  of  tlie  text  books  now  in  use,  for  perspicuit}',  simplicity  of 
method,  and  adaptation  to  the  comprehension  of  learners.  It  con- 
tains several  chapters  on  Logarithms  and  the  subjects  connected 
thereto,  which,  thoxigh  interesting  and  important,  are  not  usually 
appended  to  works  on  the  subject.' — Fredericksburg  Political  Arena. 

The  publishers  take  great  pleasure  in  presenting  the  ac- 
companying opinion  of  Professor  Adrain,  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  who  has  intjoduced  the  work  into  that 
Institution. 

Umversity  of  Pennsylvania^  JMarch  30,  1833. 
GENTiE3iETf , — ^In  Compliance  with  youi*  request,  that  I  would  give 
you  my  opinion  respecting  your  edition  of  Bridge's  Algebra,  I  beg 
leave  to  say,  that  tlie  work  appears  to  me  to  be  well  adapted  to  the 
instruction  of  students.  The  arrangement  of  the  several  parts  of  the 
science  is  judicious,  and  the  examples  are  numerous  and  well 
selected. 

Yours,  respectfully, 

ROBERT  ADRAIN. 

Philadelphia,  March  7th,  1833. 
Bridge's  Algebra  is  the  text  book  in  the  school  under  my  care ; 
and  I  am  better  pleased  with  it  than  with  any  whicli  I  have  hereto- 
fore used. 

The  author  is  very  clear  in  his  explanations,  and  systematic  in 
his  arrangement,  and  has  succeeded  in  rendering  a  comparatively 
abstruse  branch  of  science,  an  agreeable  and  interesting  exercise 
both  to  pupil  and  teacher. 

JOHN  FROST. 

NEW  AMERICAN  SPEAKER,  being  an  entirely  new 


12  VALUABLE    WORKS. 

selection  of  Speeches,  Dialogues,  and  Poetry,  for  the  use  of 

Schools.      By  Thomas  Hughs,  Compiler  of  the  Universal 

Class  Book  and  the  American  Popular  Reader. 

A  rich  collection  of  pieces  from  some  of  the  first  Avriters  in  the 
English  language,  furnishing  a  most  abundant  supply  of  exercises  in 
elocution  and  declamation.  It  should  find  admission  into  every 
academy,  college,  and  high  school,  where  it  is  an  object  to  form  tlie 
taste,  as  well  as  teach  the  art  of  speaking, 

Amehicax  Speaker. — A  volume  with  this  title,  comprising  up- 
Avards  of  two  hundred  pages,  has  just  been  issued  by  Messrs.  Key  & 
Biddle  of  this  cit\^  It  has  been  compiled  by  Thomas  Hughs,  Esq., 
the  compiler  of  the  '  Universal  Class  Book'  and  the  '  American 
Popular  Reader,'  and  is  designed  for  the  use  of  schools.  It  em- 
braces a  selection  of  speeches,  dialogues  and  poetry,  made  up  with 
gi-eat  discernment,  we  think,  from  tlie  best  authors,  foreign  and 
domestic,  ancient  and  modern,  ]Mr,  Hughs  is  well  calculated  to 
render  such  a  book  valuable,  and  from  the  perusal  we  have  given 
many  of  the  articles,  Ave  should  suppose  tliis  '  Speaker'  Avould  soon 
find  a  place  in  most  of  our  public  seminaries. 

Among  the  American  Avriters,  Avhose  productions  have  been  intro- 
duced into  this  volume,  Ave  observe  Avith  pleasure  the  names  of  Hop- 
kinson,  Brown,  Canning,  Payne,  Webster,  Everett,  Ames,  Clay, 
Randolph,  Halleck,  Bryant,  Adams,  and  otliers.  We  shall  enrich 
our  first  page  with  extracts  from  it  in  a  day  or  tAvo,  and  take  pleasure 
in  commending  it  to  those  having  charge  of  our  public  and  priA'ate 
school  s. — Pennsylvania  Inqtdrer. 

THE  PROGRESSIVE  EXPERIENCE  OF  THE 
HEART  UNDER  THE  DISCIPLINE  OF  THE 
HOLY  GHOST,  FROM  REGENERATION  TO  MA- 
TURITY.    By  Mrs.  Stevens. 

This  is  a  Avork  Avhieh  may  be  recommended  to  religious  readers 
and  to  serious  inquirers,  Avith  great  safety.  It  is  Avritten  in  an 
impressive  style,  and  is  evidently  the  production  of  a  mind  and  heart 
thoroughly  imbued  Avith  Christian  knoAvledge  and  experience.  The 
operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  soul  of  man,  are  traced  with 
a  discrimination  Avhich  nothing  but  a  personal  experience  of  his  influ- 
ences could  have  furnished.  Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress  of  Re- 
ligion in  the  Soul,  is  an  admirable  book  on  this  subject,  but  Mrs. 
Stevens's  treatise  deserves  an  honourable  place  at  its  side.  Minis- 
ters of  the  Gospel  should  consult  the  spiritual  Avelfare  of  tlieir 
people,  by  recommending  and  promoting  the  circulation  of  such 
works. — Presbyterian. 

YOUNG  LADY'S  SUNDAY  BOOK.  By  the  author 
of  the  Young  Lady's  Own  Book. 


IVEW  WORKS 

m  PRESS, 

BIT  KEV   AND   BIDDLE 

23  MINOR  STREET. 


THE  HOME  BOOK  OF  HEALTH  AND  MEDI- 
CINE, being  a  popular  treatise  on  the  means  of  avoiding  and 
curing  diseases,  and  of  preserving  the  health  and  vigour  of 
the  body  to  the  latest  period :  including  a  full  account  of  the 
diseases  of  women  and  children. 

THE  YOUNG  MAN'S  SUNDAY  BOOK;  in  continu- 
ation of  the  series  commenced  by  the  Young  Man's  Own 
Book. 

THE  YOUNG  CHRISTIAN'S  BOOK.  By  G.  T. 
Bedell,  D.D. 

THE  FAMILY  BOOK;  a  series  of  discourses,  with 
prayers  for  each  Sunday  evening  in  the  year,  with  an  Intro- 
ductory Essay.     By  the  Rev.  John  Breckenridge. 

MEMOIRS  OF  DR.  BURNEY,  arranged  from  his  own 
manuscripts,  from  family  papers,  and  from  personal  recollec- 
tions.    By  his  daughter,  Madame  D'Arblay. 

The  Monthly  Review  in  noticing  the  Memoirs  of  Dr.  Burney,  ex- 
presses the  opinion  "  that  a  more  amusing  and  profitable  production 
has  7iot  appeared  for  many  years.'''' 

Several  literary  gentlemen  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  Avho  have 
examined  the  work,  declare  that  next  to  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson, 
it  is  the  most  attractive  and  interesting  memoir  ever  published. 

TRANSATLANTIC  SKETCHES,  comprising  visits 
to  the  most  interesting  scenes  in  North  and  South  America, 
and  the  West  Indies,  with  notes  on  negro  slavery  and  Cana- 


14      NEW  WORKS  IN  PRESS  BY  KEY  AND  BIDDLE. 

dian  emigration,  by  Capt.  J.  E.  Alexander,  42d  Royal 
Highlanders,  F.R.G.S.,  M.R.A.S.,  &c.  author  of  Travels  in 
Asia,  Persia,  &c. 

TODD'S  JOHNSON'S  DICTIONARY  OF  THE 
ENGLISH  LANGUAGE  ;  to  which  is  added  a  copious 
vocabulary  of  Greek,  Latin  and  Scriptural  proper  names, 
divided  into  syllables,  and  accentuated  for  pronunciation,  by 
Thomas  Rees,  L.L.D.,  F.R.S.A.  The  above  Dictionary 
will  make  a  beautiful  pocket  volume,  same  size  of  the  Young 
Man's  Own  Book. 

MIRIAM,  OR  THE  POWER  OF  TRUTH;  a  Jewish 
Tale,  by  the  Author  of  "  Influence." 

THE  RELIGIOUS  SOUVENIR;  A  Christmas,  New- 
Year's  and  Birth-Day  Present  for  1834.  Edited  by  G.  T. 
Bedell,  D.D.,  illustrated  with  eight  splendid  steel  engra- 
vings from  the  first  Artists. 

ANATOMICAL  AND  PRACTICAL  ILLUSTRA- 
TIONS OF  PULMONARY  COMSUMPTION,  and  some 
of  its  attendant  diseases :  with  remarks  on  the  pathology, 
symptoms  and  treatment  of  Phthisis.  Illustrated  with 
twelve  engravings,  drawn  and  coloured  from  nature,  by 
Samuel  George  Morton,  M.D.,  Physician  to  the  Philadel- 
phia Aims-House  Hospital,  Lecturer  on  Anatomy,  &c.  &c. 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


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